WASHINGTON UPDATE Leaders in Financial Literacy: Bankers Celebrate 25 Years of Teaching Children to Save PROVIDING CHILDREN WITH A STRONG BASE OF FINANCIAL knowledge is critical to helping them unlock their financial future and prosper as adults – and bankers are uniquely positioned to play a role in that process. This year, the ABA Foundation celebrates a major milestone as we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Teach Children to Save financial literacy initiative. Since 1997, Teach Children to Save has brought students in grades K-8 important lessons about money and real-world financial concepts – from saving and spending to budgeting and keeping their money safe. With the help of bankers nationwide, Teach Children to Save has reached a total of 9.5 million students to date. (If you’re looking for something to compare that to, it’s roughly the number of people who live in the state of New Jersey.) Add in the ABA Foundation’s other financial education program for teens and college-age students, Get Smart About Credit, and that number grows to almost 11.8 million children and young adults who have benefitted from the foundation’s financial education curriculum (that’s a population roughly equivalent to the population of Ohio). Teach Children to Save began by providing bankers with tools and resources to enable them to take lessons on financial literacy topics into classrooms in their communities. Over the years, it has evolved and adapted to changing needs and preferences of younger generations – including pivoting to be heavily focused on virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, as the program celebrates its “silver jubilee,” the foundation is placing a particular emphasis on bringing Rob Nichols, American Bankers Association NEBANKERS.ORG 12
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODQxMjUw