Though 45 U.S. states require schools to teach financial education, much of this curriculum is directed at the middle and high school levels. The Financial Literacy Days program offers a great resource for teaching kids about money at the elementary school level.
Educators understand the importance of teaching financial literacy concepts and vocabulary in preparing students for their future. Bonzy, through its books and Learning Guides, provides essential personal financial literacy curriculum. Bonzy delivers these needed educational resources through bank-supported Financial Literacy Days.
Doug Godard’s series of books on personal financial literacy is intended to give young children valuable foundational knowledge that will serve them their entire lives. Written in a fun, memorable style commonly used by Dr. Seuss, Best Day at the Zoo and A Surprise for a Friend are very kid-relatable while appreciated by parents and educators.
Bonzy works directly with principals and school districts to schedule Financial Literacy Days. These programs are offered at no cost to the schools, and volunteers are provided by Bonzy. Bonzy works with banks and other financial institutions on all volunteer activities, in coordination with school principals. Each interactive read-aloud session lasts about 45 minutes. Typically, two volunteers are assigned to each classroom. Depending on the number of classrooms at the school, there may be a second session following the first.
When the day arrives, volunteers go into the schools to conduct an interactive read-aloud with one of our books for each kindergarten, first grade, and second grade classroom. Afterward, each student receives a free copy of the book to take home for their personal library. Books are also given to the teachers and provided for the school library. A Learning Guide for each book, designed to reinforce the financial literacy vocabulary and concepts detailed inside, is provided to teachers as a free download to be used as a lesson plan.
Financial Literacy Days give students the chance to build on their knowledge of saving, budgeting, planning, donating, and making good choices. The concepts presented conform with National Learning Standards for Financial Literacy for grades K-12, required in 45 states. The books and Learning Guides were written to the Financial Literacy Model Curriculum for grades K-3. The program gives children a foundation of knowledge that can be built upon with required financial literacy curriculum in higher grades.
According to a bi-annual study conducted by the Council for Economic Education, 45 U.S. states require school districts to teach financial education starting in kindergarten. Much of this curriculum has been developed for middle and high school students. This same study found that 35 states require a financial literacy course to be offered in high school. School districts offering financial literacy courses for several years have reported that unless students have incorporated savings, budgeting, and other core financial disciplines into their daily lives, the course material presented in high school is learned just to pass a test. There is no change in behavior when presented with financial choices. This is consistent with other CEE findings.
Personal financial education is recognized as an important component of a K-12 education curriculum. In 2022, a poll was conducted by the National Endowment for Financial Education. The poll revealed that 88 percent of U.S. adults agreed that their state should require a personal finance course for high school graduation. Eight of ten respondents stated that they wish they had been required to take at least one semester of personal finance to graduate from high school.
Bonzy has developed programs that provide children, at an early age, with a foundation in personal financial literacy that will serve them their entire lives. Those programs include Financial Literacy Days.
The Financial Literacy Day program offers an excellent resource for teaching elementary school-aged students about personal financial literacy. The concepts of saving, budgeting, planning, donating, and making good choices are presented in our books through storytelling. Students are entertained while learning, which is important for early learners in elementary school.
It was a pleasure working with Doug and all of his volunteers! We were able to discuss and plan the day together, and he graciously provided a book for each student, each teacher, and our library that made learning about financial literacy fun and age-appropriate for elementary students. His volunteers connected with the students as they led an interactive read-aloud in the classrooms. Doug also provided the teachers with a follow-up lesson plan to continue the learning and connect to their Ohio State Academic standards. If you have the chance to work with Doug Godard, definitely do it!
Our teachers and students loved Financial Literacy Day! Doug’s books are a wonderful tool for presenting basic financial concepts to young people because they don’t seem like a tool – but rather like quality children’s literature. Financial literacy is such a need, and content for presenting it to our younger students has been difficult to find. Thanks so much!
Do you think the Financial Literacy Days program would be helpful to students in your school or school district? Reach out to us today to learn more about bringing the program to your students.