For generations, education has held a significant place in the Middle Eastern community, with a deep cultural reverence for knowledge and learning. This emphasis on learning is rooted in Arab and Islamic traditions, where seeking knowledge is considered a religious duty and a pathway to personal and societal development.
In Middle Eastern societies, education is often seen as a means of empowerment and social mobility, allowing individuals to improve their status and contribute to the progress of their communities. Education is not only valued for its practical benefits, such as securing better job prospects and economic prosperity, but also for its role in fostering critical thinking, creativity, and a sense of cultural pride.
Furthermore, education is highly regarded as a way to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the region, passing down traditions, language, and values to future generations. In the Middle East, the pursuit of knowledge is not just about acquiring skills and information, but also about understanding and appreciating the history, art, literature, and religious teachings that have shaped the region’s identity.
In this context, education is cherished as an inheritance—a legacy far deeper than personal achievement. In many households, decisions are instinctively guided by what strengthens the family unit as a whole. When a son or daughter excels academically, it resonates as progress for the entire lineage. The belief is elegant in its simplicity: when one child achieves, the whole family ascends. This profound conviction is often the very catalyst for emigration to countries like the U.S. The aspiration is nearly universal: to secure opportunities for the next generation that their parents never accessed.
Yet, the act of rebuilding a life in a new land introduces formidable realities that often complicate grand aspirations. Parents who deeply revere education frequently find themselves navigating a precarious balance of financial strain, demanding work hours, and the steep, often confusing, logistics of a foreign school system. The burden of high living expenses, coupled with the complexity of navigating applications like FAFSA or college admissions—frequently undertaken in a second language—adds layers of challenge. For some youth, the pressure to enter the workforce early to support the family becomes overwhelming, while many parents recoil from the prospect of student debt.
This reality can create a pervasive struggle, making it difficult for children to maintain focus and confidently envision the prosperous future they deserve. And this is precisely where the CalKIDS Program offers a meaningful bridge.
Financial Access That Moves Families Forward
Launched in 2022, the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) is a pioneering statewide initiative designed to give families a crucial head start on higher education. At its heart, CalKIDS echoes a principle deeply familiar to Middle Eastern culture: the necessity of early investment to secure and strengthen the next generation’s trajectory.
Crucially, eligibility is not contingent upon immigration status. The CalKIDS Program provides a foundational scholarship of $500 for eligible public school students, while students in foster care and students experiencing homelessness may qualify for additional scholarship funds, for a total CalKIDS Scholarship of up to $1,500. The program also allocates a scholarship of up to $175 for every child born in California on or after July 1, 2022, helping families begin building college-going mindsets.
Today, over 5 million children in California already have a scholarship account awaiting them—a quiet promise of opportunity—and more than 800,000 [JB1] students and families have successfully claimed their funds.
For older students, CalKIDS offers immediate, tangible assistance that can be directed toward tuition, books, supplies, or vocational training programs. For younger families, it serves as a powerful spark, initiating vital conversations about long-term financial planning and savings. Because CalKIDS is still relatively nascent, the ScholarShare Investment Board (SIB) has been proactive in forging deep alliances with organizations that serve immigrant and diverse communities, including the Koreatown Youth and Community Center, the Mexican Cultural Center of Northern California and Mexican Consulate, and various APIDA groups. Cassandra DiBenedetto, Executive Director of SIB, affirms the board’s commitment to collaborating with the broadest possible spectrum of community partners.
Through the sustained engagement of colleges, local schools, and trusted community-based organizations, more families are finally connecting with their CalKIDS scholarships and leveraging them to unlock brighter futures for their children.
“CalKIDS is your child’s first—and potentially easiest—scholarship. Claiming it now is a manageable step that opens up significant, long-term conversations about the enduring value of education,” says DiBenedetto.
Programs like CalKIDS play a vital role in shaping a resilient pathway for the next generation of Middle Eastern American innovators. Beyond financial assistance, they extend something far more enduring: possibility, dignity, and a tangible sense of belonging—offering access to education where opportunity has too often been out of reach.
These community initiatives stand alongside families who already hold a deep cultural belief in the transformative power of education, helping them translate that belief into academic reality. Many parents carry this responsibility with quiet sacrifice—working multiple jobs, navigating limited access to healthcare, and placing their children’s futures above their own comfort. However, when even one child is granted the opportunity to succeed, the impact can ripple across generations, reaffirming the immigrant pursuit of the American dream and its meaningful contribution to society.
It is our hope that these emerging stories of success will inspire new initiatives and sustained investment in immigrant communities. At its core, the pursuit of education deserves recognition as the ultimate cornerstone of a child’s success.
Families are encouraged to visit CalKIDS.org to check eligibility and claim their scholarship—an initial step that may well become the foundation upon which a future is built.
