It's never too soon to start planning for your children's college education. Even if they're not yet born.

Financial planning experts say it may not be long before students preparing for college or about to start their undergraduate studies will need to begin thinking about tuition, books, and room and board -- not for themselves, but for their progeny.

"I don't worry about how much it will cost for my children to go to college, because I've already factored the high cost into my decision about how many children I will have," said Kyle Abello, 22, who graduated from UC San Diego last June.

Mr. Abello is ahead of most of his peers, who rarely think about college costs for any children they might have, according to financial planners.

Here's a hint: They make today's prices look cheap.

College planner Linda Taylor's staff created an estimate, based on a 6 percent inflation rate, of the costs for several California schools through 2019.

In 10 years, a year at Stanford could cost as much as $80,234. By 2019, that could rise to $120,643.

And costs for what is currently considered one of the best bargains in public education, the UC system, will also balloon. Ms. Taylor's chart estimates a year at UCLA will cost $31,054 for an in-state student in 2012, and $46,693 in 2019.

If that's not enough to make students begin stashing pennies in the college fund piggy bank, it might make them reconsider the size of their future families.

"Personally, I plan to save during my career years for whatever eventualities may come, like paying for the next generation's education," said UC Berkeley freshman Ben Fryer. "A combination of efforts on the parts of parents, students, the state and the schools will provide what the next generation needs, assuming we continue to place a high value on higher education."

According to Ms. Taylor, the number of parents who put away money for their kids' college education is not high. Of more than 300 clients -- across income brackets -- she worked with last year, only about 3 percent had saved anything, she said. Others suffered when stock market investments, intended to grow and be available for tuition bills, tumbled during the past three years.

"People don't understand the difference between an investment plan and a savings plan," said Ms. Taylor. "Investment plans are sexy. But unless you know what you're doing, it's a time bomb."

She urges her clients to use online calculators, available at www.finaid.org, to determine how much money should be set aside each year. A family's adjusted gross income should be recalculated each year in case financial situations change, she added.

"All families, from the get-go, if they have 2-year-olds or 2-year-old grandsons, should do this," Ms. Taylor said.

FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION ON THE WEB

Where can you go for more information about financial aid? College planners recommend these Web sites:

Application for federal student aid
www. FAFSA.ed.gov/

Comprehensive site with useful calculators
www.finaid.org

California Student Aid Commission
www.csac.ca.gov

Loan information
www.salliemae.com

Scholarship database
www.fastaid.com

More scholarships, financial aid info
www.freschinfo.com

Look for scholarships
search.cashe.com/

Scholarships by college major
www.fastweb.com

Scholarships that match your personal characteristics
www.collegenet.com/mach25

Resources for Latino students
www.hispanicfund.org

e-mail: letling@newspress.com