California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced May 8 that the state is launching a program this summer to provide free diapers to all newborn babies in California.

“California is taking on the cost of raising a family head-on,” Newsom said. “Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life—and that means making sure parents have the basics they need from day one.”

During the program’s first year, 65 to 75 hospitals, which account for about a quarter of the births in California, are eligible for the benefits.

Families with a newborn delivered at the participating hospitals will receive 400 diapers for babies up to 14 pounds upon discharge at no cost, which is on average a little more than a month’s worth of diapers.

The state set aside $7.4 million in last year’s budget to roll out the initiative, and an additional $12.5 million in the budget proposal of the upcoming fiscal year ending in June 2027 to implement the program.

The initiative, called “Golden State Start,” is in partnership with Baby2Baby, a nonprofit headquartered in Los Angeles, that provides child supplies such as diapers to children in need.

The governor’s office said the company, through its existing partnerships with California hospitals, community-based organizations, and programs, will manage the diaper procurement, warehousing, and hospital distribution of this new program.

“Diapers are at the core of our mission at Baby2Baby as a shocking one in two families in this country struggles to afford them,” Baby2Baby co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof said. “We … could not be prouder to partner on this historic initiative that will support moms and babies at their most vulnerable time.”

For the first year of the program, the governor’s office said hospitals that serve large numbers of Medi-Cal patients will be prioritized so that low-income families benefit early. It said there are plans to scale across additional hospitals and birthing centers over time.

The governor’s office said the goal of the program is to ease financial strain for families and reduce trade-offs between diapers and other essentials.

“The first days at home with a newborn should be focused on the love, connection, and joy of an expanded family, not stress about affording diapers,” Kim Johnson, secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency, said in a statement. “This program helps ensure families can begin that journey with greater stability and peace of mind.”

The governor’s office also said it is exploring ways to lower the cost of diapers to challenge “high prices from major brands” as part of a broader affordability strategy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.