News flash! Financial literacy education, as we now know it, is failing miserably. The cyclical repercussions are obvious (one-third of American citizens don't pay all their bills on time. Hello current economy). And the crisis has sent experts, educators and parents into a complete tizzy. They're panicked and reaching for all that they've got: the same old same old financial literacy programs.
Which means (you'll love this), we're trying to solve a recurring issue with programs that aren't getting the job done. Talk about a cycle. It's crucial we recognize that the same old doesn't address the root of the problem. We can't effectively teach kids financial literacy if we leave out how money fits into our lives.
That's where FLY comes in. We're re-thinking financial literacy as we know it. And we're doing it with Earn My Keep—a proven, award-winning, financial and life literacy program that connects the dots between economics, financial literacy and career exploration. Earn My Keep doesn't jump in with money management (the Part II). It starts where it should start. At the beginning. With Part I: how adults earn money in the first place!
FLY helps kids ages 4-12 experience "real" careers, earn "money" for completing job tasks, and manage those earnings. They learn how financial decisions are tied into our responsibilities, values, ethics and emotions. And that the work we do can be worth far more than the numbers on the paycheck. Which is not a bad way to boost empowerment and banish entitlement (YAY!).
Now it's your turn. Help us stop the cycle. As a nonprofit, we can turn your support into engaging, exciting, educational curricula and resources that teach kids so much more than financial literacy. So they can live lives that are so much more.
