Today’s youth see what’s going on in the economy and do not want to repeat the mistakes of the baby boom generation. Many are personally experiencing the stress that financial issues bring in their home and the messages delivered by the media.
Gen Y is ready to learn about money, and it’s up to community leaders to ensure they have access to quality financial literacy curriculum. By providing today’s youth practical financial training we can help them avoid debt issues, poor spending habits and help them recognize decisions that align with their lifestyle goals.
This generation stands to benefit from money management training. They are starting off with no financial issues and with the right financial literacy curriculum they have nowhere to go but up. Many schools have recognized this and are committed to sharing personal financial skills with their students either through workshops, classes, camps and/or with the help of
financial literacy software to reduce faculty cost and maximize in class time.
One of the first things you want to check when reviewing financial literacy curriculum is who actually designed it. A lot of the current lesson plans available on the market have been created by people who have minimal personal finance experience. Make sure that the lesson plans you decide to use have been designed by professionals who understand both the theory and practical application of good money management skills.
Locate motivational curriculum that gets students excited. When taught improperly or when using poor financial education lesson plans, it can also be quite boring and lose interest when it’s confusing. Finding life skill curriculum that's friendly and accessible and easy-to-understand will directly impact your post test results. It is also suggested that all educators take a
financial literacy certification course prior to presenting the curriculum.
Modular delivery of financial education lesson plans help participants build on new skill sets that can take them to the next level learning. Help your students stay engaged by challenging them with coursework that offers a modular learning platform so you know exactly what lessons to share as student’s progress.
In designing the curriculum for the YES Movie which featured leaders in the field of business, it was noted that the people who ‘win’ with money are the ones who make financial decisions based on logic rather than emotions. It is well known that most people make their decisions because of emotional responses, not logic. That is why it is critical that the financial literacy curriculum you choose covers the psychology of money.
It is important for participants to understand key theories in their financial literacy training, it is equally critical to select lesson plans that focus on the real world issues your students may experience while also including a theory based education. Financial literacy curriculum that strikes this balance better engages the students and helps them retain what is taught.
Students realize that paycheck to paycheck living is stressful and many of their parents are going through this situation now. Teach your students how they can avoid this situation by developing these basic skills. Financial literacy lesson plans should be rigorous, relate to student situations and be ‘real’ so students internalize the message.
Right now is the time to start sharing practical financial education curriculum with the youth you serve. By starting to share these lessons while they are young you can instill good money habits that can last a lifetime.
Even if your state does not require money management courses, take it upon yourself to raise awareness and educate your students, children and youth you meet. Just one simple lesson can save them from many years of struggle trying to remedy the situation.
Schools that wish to share the message of financial literacy with their students, we invite you to join our awards program. Schools that purchase the NFEC financial literacy lesson plans are automatically entered into our awards program. Gold Bar Schools – Provide five hours of money skills training to your students each year and receive our awards package. Silver Bar Schools – Provide three hours of personal financial instruction per annum to over 90% students before they move on to the next grade level. Bronze Bar Schools – Deliver at least one class devoted to financial literacy education to over 90% of one grade level.
