Your child's future just got brighter
Whether you have a new baby or high school teen, Oakland Promise offers up to $500 in FREE college savings accounts and more for eligible participants, regardless of immigration status. Sign up below for seed money and financial advising.
Not in Oakland? CalKids provides $100 college savings accounts for every newborn in California, and $500 college savings accounts for eligible public school students.
See if your child is eligible
Get StartedWho is eligible for CalKIDS?
- Babies born in California on or after July 1, 2023
- Students enrolled as a 1st-12th grader in a California public school in October 2021
- Students enrolled as 1st graders in a California public school during the 2022-23 school year or later
- Students whose schools reported to the California Department of Education that they are eligible based on family income, English language learner status, and/or being a foster youth
- Check out the CalKIDS eligibility tool to see if you qualify!
What do you need to sign up for a CalkIDS account?
Babies
Local Registration Number located on their birth certificate & birthdate
Students
SSID number (State Student ID) & county where they attend school
Sign up
- Oakland residents
- Household income meets MediCal eligibility
- Babies under 2 years old - high school seniors
Oakland Promise Impact
2312 babies
Have a College Savings Account seeded with $500
75% of families
Participate in Financial Coaching
93% of BB parents
Believe their child is college-bound
87% of children
Are preparing to be first-generation college graduates
85% of parents
Say BB has positively influenced the way they think about their child's future.
$1,466,416.89
Collectively invested for post‑secondary education
What you get with Oakland Promise:
College Savings Made Easy:
We kickstart your child's educational journey with their very own college savings account, planting the seed for a bright future
Empowering Financial Guidance
Work with a financial coach to set personal financial goals and gain skills to work towards achieving them.
Community Support
You're not alone. Join a network of families dedicated to raising happy, healthy, and school-ready children.
Don't miss our K-8th Grade Scholarship!
Our Kindergarten to College Program may be right for you.
Every Kindergartner attending an Oakland public school receives $100 in their Oakland Promise Scholarship account. Additionally, families have the option to open a family-owned college savings account.
Students can earn additional scholarship amounts in 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, and 12th grades if they graduate from an Oakland public high school and enroll in post-secondary education, totaling anywhere from $2,000 – $4,000 by the time they enter college!
Sign Up Now
About Oakland Promise
Oakland Promise offers every child the financial resources, educational programming, mentorship, and a supportive community to help them and their families, to seek out and thrive in higher education and the career of their choosing. In 2016, Oaklanders came together to make a promise to every child in our city, offering them the resources, support, coaching, and incentives they need from birth and throughout their school years. With equity as a focus, Oakland Promise works to give kids and their families the opportunity to make this promise a reality.
Learn more
About Calkids
The California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) was launched in 2022 by the State of California with a clear mission: make it easier for more children to save for their future education. Administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, CalkIDS takes the initiative by automatically offering newborns and eligible low-income public school children in California an initial seed deposit, along with other potential financial incentives.
Learn more