WASHINGTON — Eighty-eight percent of adults overwhelmingly agree that personal finance skills should be taught in schools, according to a new survey from Morning Consult. Despite such strong support, as of 2016, only 17 states require high school students to take a course in personal finance.
In an effort to fill that gap, the ABA Foundation and banks nationwide will visit local classrooms this April to celebrate Financial Literacy Month and the ABA Foundation’s signature program, Teach Children to Save.In a Teach Children to Save classroom lesson, bankers teach students the fundamentals of financial literacy through age-specific activities and interactive scenarios. The lessons cover the basics of saving, as well as how to create a budget and distinguish needs from wants.
“Bankers understand how critically important it is to have a sound financial education,” said Corey Carlisle, ABA Foundation executive director. “That’s why many are doubling down on their financially literacy efforts, not just in April or on Teach Children to Save Day, but throughout the year.”
Teach Children to Save is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and since its inception has encouraged nearly 180,000 bankers to teach saving skills to approximately 7.5 million students. Teach Children to Save Day will be marked on April 28, 2017.
The program is generously supported by its national partners: Citi, Fiserv, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo.
To learn more about Teach Children to Save, or the ABA Foundation’s other financial literacy programs, visit aba.com/FinEd.
About the survey
Morning Consult, on behalf of the American Bankers Association, conducted an online survey of 2,223 adults from Feb. 16-19, 2017. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of +/- 2 percent.