Resources for Teachers

Financial education is critical to future success. Teachers and our schools can provide programs and resources to help Connecticut's youth start off on a solid financial footing to reach their future financial goals.

CT Jump$tart Coalition for Youth Financial Literacy
The Treasurer's Office is a founding member of a public/private collaboration to research and develop policy and plan programs to prepare young people to effectively manage their personal finances. Our partners include Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, the CT Department of Education, CT Department of Banking, local non-profits, and educators. The state coalition is affiliated with the National Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. For information or materials, visit www.jumpstart.org/states-connecticut.html. 

This website also has resources to help improve your basic personal financial management skills, including tips on balancing a checkbook and basic principles involved with earning, spending, saving, and investing.

Junior Achievement of Southwest New England
The Treasurer's Office collaborates with Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, to support programs for students on business, economics, entrepreneurship career development and financial literacy. For information or materials, visit Junior Achievement.

Money Smart for Young Adults
The FDIC's Money Smart for Young Adults resources help youth ages 12-20 learn the basics of handling their money and finances. The curriculum is free and is aligned with state education standards.

MoneySkill
MoneySkill is a free online personal financial curriculum for young adults developed by The AFSA Education Foundation. Teachers can use this module curriculum to increase student understanding of income, expenses, assets, liabilities and risk management.

National Endowment for Financial Education
NEFE is a national foundation that conducts research in the field of financial literacy education and offers online financial education resources for high school youth (NEFE High School Financial Planning Program), college students and recent grads. Visit www.nefe.org

Council for Economic Education
The council offers materials and internet based curriculum for teachers and students in economic education in K-12 schools across the nation and around the world. Visit www.econedlink.org for online economic and personal finance lessons and resources for educators, students and after-school providers. For general information, visit www.councilforeconed.org.

Your Life, Your Money
Sponsored by The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) this website offers personal stories, videos and a guide to The PBS television program "Your life, Your money" on topics like: Making It, Keeping It, Make Your Money Work For Your, Digging out of Debt, Smart Savings, Get Insured, and Working and Living as a Freelancer. Visit www.pbs.org/your-life-your-money

Practical Money Skills for life
For free materials, personal finance calculators and to download games such as Financial Football are available in ten languages, and listen to podcasts on a variety of personal finance topics visit www.practicalmoneyskills.com/resources.

Save for America
www.saveforamerica.org
Established in 1982, Save for America has helped hundreds of thousands of grade school students realize the importance of saving money for their future. Save for America helps introduce children to a variety of skills that will be important when they become adults.

EverFi
www.everfi.com
EverFi prepares learners for next generation challenges. It provides free curricula and activities for people at every age in the areas of financial capability, career leadership and success, STEM readiness, health and wellness, and diversity and inclusion. It also partners with companies to place particular curricula in local schools.

Fool Proof Me
www.foolproofme.com
The website teaches young people the importance of cautious consumerism by learning to critically evaluate advertising and to rely on independent research before spending their hard-earned money. It teaches defensive thinking and its work is based on a core belief: if advertisers have the right to put the best light on their products and services, consumers have the right to learn how to critically judge advertising and marketing messages.

 

The following websites are targeted to young people who are interested in learning more about money, saving and investing.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Look at new currency designs, facts, trivia, and more.
http://www.moneyfactory.com/

FDIC Learning Bank
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's kids' site tells you the who, what, when, where, and why about this agency - with a little help from Carmen Cents!
http://www.fdic.gov/about/learn/learning/index.html

FED 101
Students can find out how the Federal Reserve System works. Kids can be a bank examiner and interview a Fed Reserve president. FED101 also includes an interactive game - Fed Clue.
http://www.federalreserveeducation.org/

Pocket Change
Looking for cool games, amazing time travel, and coin-collecting tips? You're in the right place. Just visit the U.S. Mint's website and discover a pocketful of treasures!
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/

Savings Bonds for Kids
Do you know what Savings Bonds are? Maybe you got one as a present or maybe your parents are using them to save for college. This website will help you understand what they are and how they work. It includes a poster contest, games, and fun facts about U.S. Savings Bonds.
www.treasurydirect.gov/kids/basics/basics_sb.htm

Social Security Kids Stuff
Social Security is your piggy bank for the future. You save by making payments every time you receive a paycheck. A small portion of each paycheck is sent to the Social Security Administration. Later, when you retire, Social Security will pay you back every month with a Social Security check. What goes around, comes around!
https://www.ssa.gov/people/students/

Life Smarts - The Ultimate Consumer Challenge
The National Consumers League operates LifeSmarts, which is a flexible classroom or group activity that teaches teens to be smart and responsible consumers and citizens. It is open to all teens in the 9th through 12th grade. The content and competition questions focus on five key areas of consumer knowledge that teens need to know to function effectively in today's marketplace.

The Mint
Find out what it takes to start your own business, learn how to save and invest your money wisely, or try out some cool quizzes and financial tools. You can also learn about your role in the economy and how to make a budget!
http://www.themint.org/