SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK), which began in 2007, is a large-scale policy test of universal, automatic, and progressive Child Development Accounts (CDAs). SEED OK is a randomized experiment. The sampling frame for SEED OK was birth records for all children born in Oklahoma during certain periods in 2007, with oversamples of African American, American Indian, and Hispanic infants.

SEED OK had large impacts on holding an OK 529 account and total OK 529 assets, largely due to automatic account opening and the automatic initial deposit. SEED OK has achieved and maintained 99.9% 529 account holding among the treatment group, compared to less than 1% for controls. Treatment participants also opened more participant-owned 529 accounts, and saved more money compared to controls. SEED OK also has a positive impact on social-emotional development for children in disadvantaged families. It appears that holding an account and having assets for college—not the saving behavior of parents—leads to these effects. These findings have produced a theoretical and practical foundation that has informed CDA policy development in other states.

Policymakers have used findings from the SEED OK experiment to make asset-building policies more inclusive, effective, and sustainable. For example, citing SEED OK research, Maine announced in 2014 that all newborns would automatically be enrolled in the College Challenge and receive the $500 grant. In following SEED OK results, Maine became convinced and committed to changing from an opt-in to an opt-out policy.  The success of automatic and universal (all children) account opening in SEED OK has also influenced state officials in Nevada and Connecticut. The Nevada initiative automatically established a 529 college savings account with $50 for about 3,400 kindergarten students, with planned statewide expansion to include nearly 35,000 kindergarten students. Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy, has proposed opening college savings accounts for every child born or adopted in the state, with a deposit of $100 into a state 529 account and a savings match of $150. Other states and cities are considering similar policies. At the federal level, CDAs have been proposed through the America Saving for Personal Investment, Retirement, and Education (ASPIRE) Act, and federal policy discussions have recently been renewed. As in so many social policies in American history, it is possible that innovations in the states may ultimately inform a national CDA policy.