(TOPEKA, Kan.) - Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, CPA will meet with more than 400 students at the Frank Bergman Elementary School to officially kick-off the "Save@School" program that will not only teach students how to save money, but will give them the opportunity to actually save it!
"We want the students to leave class with more than a grade," Jenkins said. "We want them to walk away with a hefty savings account and an understanding of money management."
The "Save@School" program introduces students to the concepts of money management by having participating students open savings accounts and make deposits on scheduled days at their schools. The schools will also offer a class based on curriculum distributed by the State Treasurer's office and approved by the Kansas Department of Education.
The partnering financial institution, K-State Federal Credit Union, will operate weekly at the school so the students can make deposits into their savings accounts.
"It is crucial that we teach young people that they are responsible for their financial futures," said State Treasurer Jenkins. "I am thrilled to be partnered with K-State Federal Credit Union to help educate Manhattan's children about money and how to properly manage it."
The K-State Federal Credit Union also spearheads Save@School programs at Woodrow Wilson, Lee, Theodore Roosevelt and Ogden elementary schools. The Credit Union has a staff member who works directly with the schools to ensure the program is working efficiently and that students are learning from the program.
"If we can educate children at the elementary school level about the need to be financially responsible, hopefully we can help them become better prepared to handle their responsibilities as they mature," said LaRae Kraemer, President of the K-State Federal Credit Union.
K-State Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative, owned and controlled by its members, chartered in 1946 to meet the financial needs of educational employee groups in the Manhattan area. All employees and their immediate family members of an approved employee group are eligible for membership in the credit union. This includes all employees and students of K-State, all employees of Riley County and Riley County public schools, and employees of other select Manhattan area businesses. K-State Federal Credit Union is working to make a difference in the community and was honored with the Best Practice in Community Involvement Award for 2005 from the Kansas Credit Union Association. They will be honored with the national award for youth financial literacy by the Credit Union National Administration later this year.
Jenkins, a former State Representative and Senator from Topeka, was re-elected to her second term as Kansas State Treasurer on Nov. 7, 2006. During her time as Treasurer, Jenkins has expanded investment options in Learning Quest and oversaw the re-bidding of the program, returned an average of $9 million a year in unclaimed property to Kansans, initiated multiple financial literacy programs, and eliminated the reliance on state general fund dollars to operate the office. She is a Certified Public Accountant and former small business owner.
