With the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy report this year and passage of Senate Bill 84 in Kansas, it is easy to see that teaching kids about financial literacy is now a national priority. These are certainly huge steps in creating a more financially responsible generation of leaders. But learning about finances isn't limited to the classroom. In fact most money related lessons are learned at home, through real world experience and open discussion about current financial topics. With that in mind I would like to encourage parents, teachers and kids of all ages to seek out financial information and talk openly about finances.
Today I would like to take the opportunity as your State Treasurer, and as a parent myself, to recommend that you read with the kids in your life and launch a dialog about finances in your home. That is why we have put together an extensive reading list for kids from preschool through high school ages that touch on basic financial topics such as; weighing costs and benefits, trading goods, having a job, work and human capital, having and earning money, budgeting, and saving techniques.
I encourage anyone interested in teaching simple financial concepts to kids to visit our website at www.kansasstatetreasurer.com to download a list of financial books and then head to your local library. Whether students are logging reading time for school credit or reading for leisure, books such as the ones listed on our website can reinforce financial lessons that our children will carry with them through their lives.
It is important that parents talk to their children about finances early and often. Reading these books to kids is a great way to communicate the message of financial responsibility. Educating our youth to make responsible financial decisions will leverage untold financial growth and healthier families well into the future.
My office also provides curriculum at each school level: Save@School for grade schools, Money$mart for middle schools, and ABCs of Credit Card Finance for Kansas high schools as well as other local programs throughout the state. Please contact Michelle Kaberline at 785-296-0645 or visit www.kansasstatetreasurer.com/prodweb/financial_resources.php for more information about financial literacy programs in Kansas.
