Background
California launched Golden State Start in May 2026 as the nation’s first statewide diaper access initiative, helping reduce one of the earliest and most immediate costs facing new parents.
Established in the 2025 Budget Act, the program provides every family welcoming a newborn at participating hospitals with 400 free diapers before leaving the hospital.
The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) conducted a thorough Request for Information (RFI) process to identify an organization capable of administering the statewide initiative.
Procurement Process
- HCAI conducted a Request for Information (RFI).
- The RFI generated 15 responses from organizations interested in administering the program.
- All submissions were reviewed using the same evaluation process.
- Following that review, HCAI contracted with Baby2Baby based on its demonstrated ability to procure, warehouse, and distribute diapers statewide at scale.
Why the selected vendor
Baby2Baby demonstrated:
- Proven statewide and national distribution capacity.
- Distribution partnerships with more than 590 California organizations, including hospitals, health centers, shelters, food banks, and nonprofits.
- Experience serving more than one million children nationwide annually.
- Established procurement capacity
- Ability to rapidly launch a statewide hospital distribution network.
Early Results
Just two months into implementation:
- 91 of California’s 203 birthing hospitals have entered onboarding.
- 15 hospitals are actively participating.
- Five additional hospitals have completed enrollment and are finalizing agreements.
