If you graduated from a California public high school in the last few years, there is a real chance the state opened a savings account in your name and never got you to claim it. Most people never find out. The money just sits there.
It's called CalKIDS, and yes, you can use it at beauty school. Here's exactly how it works, how much it's worth, and what to do this week if you think you have an account waiting.
The short answer
CalKIDS is a free California college savings program. If you were a low-income public school student in grades 1 through 12 during the 2021-22 school year, the state automatically deposited $500 into an account with your name on it, and up to $1,500 if you were identified as foster youth or experiencing homelessness. You don't apply, you don't repay it, and you don't need a Social Security number to use it. You just have to claim it before you turn 26.
That money can be sent to a career school like Beyond 21st Century Beauty Academy, because CalKIDS funds work at any school that participates in federal financial aid programs, not just four-year colleges. All three of our programs qualify.
What CalKIDS actually is
CalKIDS, the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program, launched in 2022 and is run by the ScholarShare Investment Board. It's a state-seeded 529 savings account, and two separate groups of Californians got one.
School-age awards, the ones that matter right now
Low-income public school students enrolled in grades 1 through 12 during the 2021-22 academic year each received an automatic $500 deposit. Second graders in every school year since then get one too. Students identified as foster youth get an extra $500, and students identified as experiencing homelessness get another $500.
Do the math on the timing. Someone who was a high school senior in 2021-22 is around 22 today. Someone who was in 8th grade that year is around 18. That's exactly the age range walking through our doors, which is why this is worth five minutes of your time.
At-birth awards, for your kids
Every child born in California on or after July 1, 2022 got a CalKIDS account: $25 for babies born between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, and $100 for those born on or after July 1, 2023. Claiming the account adds $25, and linking a ScholarShare 529 adds $50. If you have a baby or toddler at home, that account exists whether you've heard of it or not.
Can you use CalKIDS at beauty school?
Yes, at the right school. CalKIDS funds have to go to an Eligible Educational Institution under Section 529 of the tax code, which the program defines as postsecondary schools eligible to participate in federal financial aid programs. That includes thousands of technical and vocational schools, not just universities.
Beyond participates in federal student aid. Our federal school code is 041482, the same code students enter on the FAFSA. That's the marker CalKIDS tells families to look for when they check whether a school qualifies.
Qualified expenses include tuition and fees, books and supplies, required equipment, and certain room and board costs. In beauty school your kit and books are a real line item, and CalKIDS can go toward them.
Here's the part nail tech students should not miss. Our manicuring program is 400 hours, which is too short to qualify for federal grants and loans. CalKIDS is different. Eligibility is set at the school level, not the program level, so CalKIDS money can go toward manicuring. For a nail tech student, it's one of the few outside funding sources that actually works.
How far $500 actually goes at Beyond
We're not going to pretend $500 pays for beauty school. It doesn't. But here's what it is against our real, published costs:
- Cosmetology, 1,000 hours, $17,560 total. CalKIDS covers your registration fee and most of your $1,100 kit and books.
- Esthetician, 600 hours, $11,206.50 total. CalKIDS covers about a third of your $1,300 Dermalogica kit and books.
- Manicuring, 400 hours, $5,595 total. That's roughly 9 percent of the whole program and over half your kit, on a program federal aid can't touch.
If you qualified for the foster youth or homeless add-ons, $1,500 covers a full kit with money left over. For a student stretching to cover a program, that can be the difference between starting this cohort and waiting another five months.
CalKIDS also stacks. It isn't a loan, and it doesn't take the place of federal aid. See our financial aid page for how Pell, federal loans, and payment plans fit together at Beyond.
How to claim your CalKIDS account
Claiming takes about ten minutes and there's no application to be approved.
- Go to calkids.org/get-started and use the eligibility tool.
- Enter the county where you attended school, your date of birth, and your Statewide Student Identifier (SSID). If you don't know your SSID, your former school district or high school counseling office can look it up.
- If you got a notification letter in the mail, it has a unique code you can use instead.
- Register your account and set up your login. That's the claim.
Parents claiming a newborn's account use the county where the birth was registered plus the Local Registration Number from the birth certificate.
How to actually get the money to your school
Claiming and spending are two different steps. To request a distribution you must be at least 17 and enrolled at the institution. In the CalKIDS portal you'll submit:
- The school's name and address
- Self-certification that you're enrolled
- Self-certification that you've lived in California for the past 12 months
- Your student ID number at the school
- The amount you want distributed
CalKIDS sends the payment directly to the school, not to you. If you don't have a balance owed, the school can pass the funds to you for qualified expenses. No taxpayer ID is required to request a distribution, which is an important detail for students who don't have one.
The hard deadline: if you don't use the funds for qualified education expenses before you turn 26, they're forfeited back to the program.
Who should go check right now
- You attended a California public school in grades 1 through 12 during the 2021-22 school year and your family qualified for free or reduced-price meals
- You were in foster care or experienced housing instability during those school years
- You're between 17 and 25 and thinking about a beauty career
- You're looking at nail tech, where federal aid isn't an option
- You have a child born in California on or after July 1, 2022
- You're a parent helping a recent grad figure out how to pay for training
If none of those describe you, CalKIDS probably isn't your route, but FAFSA still might be. Start with our FAFSA tips for beauty school.
Common questions
Do I have to pay CalKIDS back?
No. It's a state-funded deposit, not a loan. There's no interest and no repayment.
Does CalKIDS work for the nail tech program?
Yes. Federal grants and loans don't cover our 400-hour manicuring program, but CalKIDS eligibility is based on the school rather than the individual program, so your CalKIDS funds can go toward it.
Does claiming CalKIDS affect my Pell Grant or other aid?
CalKIDS is a savings account seeded by the state, designed to sit alongside federal aid rather than replace it. Talk to our financial aid office about how it lands on your specific award.
Do I need a Social Security number?
Not to claim the account or request a distribution. CalKIDS states that a taxpayer ID is not required.
What if I'm over 26?
Unused funds are forfeited at 26. If you claimed the account before your 26th birthday there's an appeal path, so call CalKIDS at (888) 445-2377.
Can I use it for my state board exam fees?
Qualified expenses are tuition, fees, books, supplies, and required equipment for attendance. Licensing exam fees paid to the state aren't school charges, so ask CalKIDS directly before assuming.
What if I don't know my SSID?
Your last California school district can retrieve it, and it appears on many report cards and transcripts.
Come see the school before you spend a dollar
The best way to figure out whether beauty school is worth it for you is to walk the floor, meet the instructors, and watch students work on real clients. We've been in Santa Fe Springs since 1997 and have licensed more than 2,100 graduates.
Book a campus tour, or call us at (562) 404-6193. We're at 13640 Imperial Highway, Suites 6-8, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670. Bring your questions about cost. We'll give you real numbers, not a brochure.
