Money Smart Week, which will be celebrated this year starting on April 21, is a national initiative of ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to provide financial literacy programming to help members of your community better manage their personal finances.
But teaching financial literacy does not have to happen only during April. Here are a few ideas to help promote financial literacy and make money smart students any time of year.
This program was offered as part of Thinking Money exhibit, a traveling exhibit about financial literacy offered by the ALA Public Programs Office and the FINRA Foundation.
In partnership with the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central Oklahoma (CCCS), Pioneer Library System (PLS) staff presented numerous six-week Fiscally Fit Bootcamps to library staff and vital community partners such as municipal employees, tribal groups, local utility workers and technology centers in all 12 library communities.
COVID-19 isn't just a health crisis; for many Americans, the pandemic has caused economic turmoil as well. As members of ALA's Financial Literacy Interest Group, we know the importance of financial capability skills, and this was a moment for us to step up.
So facing statewide "shelter at home" orders this spring, public and academic libraries made a quick shift to online financial literacy programming. Here’s what we learned along the way.
Even before the COVID-19 crisis, libraries have been hard at work helping to inform their communities about the many ways we can prepare for the economic aspects of the uncertainties in our future. As the pandemic continues, addressing both the immediate and future financial education resource needs of our users remain paramount.
