There’s $500 for eligible Fresno Unified students for college. Why won’t they claim it?

Imagine being a first grader and finding out $500 has been deposited into a bank account to help with college. Fresno Unified is designing a campaign to ensure students see this opportunity available through a state program that helps motivate students to pursue a college degree or vocational training.

More than 62,500 Fresno Unified students qualify for the $500, yet only 6.72% of eligible students have claimed the free money, data from the State Treasurer’s Office shows. That’s little more than 58,300 students missing out on the free money set aside to ease their financial burden.

“I went to Edison High School, a lot of students in my class that were just as hard-working as me, just as smart as me, if not smarter and harder working, but just didn’t have the financial reality of being able to even consider higher education,” said Trustee Andy Levine, who introduced the CalKIDS program to the district in 2022, and recently advocated for the school board to develop strategies to promote the program.

The goal is to increase account access to at least 25% of all eligible students district wide and 50% of high schoolers by June 2025, the resolution reads. It’s all the more important because fewer than 25% of Fresno County residents over 25 years old have a bachelor’s degree, and studies have shown that providing as little as $500 can triple a student’s chances of attending college and quadruple the chances of graduating from college.

“Money is a barrier for post-secondary education,” said Andrew Scherrer, executive of the Foundations of Fresno Unified Schools. “In fact, many times folks initially think about trade schools or apprenticeships and they think down on them, but they are some of the most expensive programs that we have in the area.”

The foundation performs as the fundraising partner of Fresno Unified and works closely with the district’s College and Career Readiness Office to connect students to financial aid opportunities. Scherrer said while money may not be the defining factor for post-secondary success, it is a lever that can be pulled to remove barriers for students heading to success.

CalKIDS, the state-funded program launched in August 2022, automatically establishes accounts with an initial $500 deposit for eligible low-income or English learner students in public schools, and up to $175 for newborns on or after July 1, 2022. Additional deposits of up to $1000 are available for foster and unhoused students.

Once the account has been claimed, the participant can use the money to pay for higher education expenses, including nationwide college tuition and fees, vocational and professional training, books, school supplies, and computer equipment. The funds are available until the beneficiary turns 26.

Fresno Unified has about 90% of low-income students who have at least $500 deposited in their CalKIDS accounts, said Levine, and altogether, the district could leverage $30 million in state funding to support students’ colleges and vocational training.

One of the challenges is students don’t know their state student ID, which is different from the student number they use at schools. Another obstacle is that many parents are concerned that the program is “too good to be true,” said Jasmine Dellafosse, director of organizing and community engagement at End Poverty California.

“It’s not a scam or fraud, it’s actually a saving account for your child,” said Dellafosse.

Fresno Unified will be the first school district to implement a policy to promote CalKIDS’ enrollment, she added, and it will set an example for other districts to take more initiatives to meet the needs of children.

Last week, CalKIDS reached a milestone with 300,000 accounts claimed, while there are nearly 3.8 million socioeconomically disadvantaged students enrolled in public schools in the 2022-23 school year.

In Los Angeles Unified, the state’s largest school district, 8.33% of eligible students have claimed the money, according to the State Treasurer’s Office. The data for San Francisco Unified and Oakland Unified are 5.65% and 7.89%, respectively.

To claim the $500, go to CalKIDS website at https://calkids.org/get-started/register-your-account/.