Financial Literacy Month: Empowering Indiana Students with EVERFI
Written by: Kristin Pierce
Whether you’re teaching young Hoosiers in elementary school or guiding teens on the cusp of adulthood in high school, preparing Indiana students for their financial future is essential at every age. Basic numeracy and skills like self-management and responsible decision-making are developed in early childhood. As students navigate middle childhood, they grapple with basic money management and even how peers influence spending habits.
For adolescents and young adults, the stakes get higher with impactful financial decisions like employment, paying for post-secondary education, and even filing taxes for the first time. This April, celebrate Financial Literacy Month in your Indiana classroom with EVERFI’s no-cost resources and make a lasting impact!
“Financial literacy is crucial for students to navigate the complexities of personal finance, including budgeting, saving, investing, and understanding credit.”
🏆 Life Skills for the Win: Empowering Future Financial Gurus💡
Financial literacy is crucial for students to navigate the complexities of personal finance, including budgeting, saving, investing, and understanding credit. By integrating these courses into your classroom, you can help students make informed financial decisions throughout their lives.
- Elementary school – Vault: Understanding Money—Teach students important financial and social skills through a fun, interactive story where a group of friends is transported into different dimensions and faced with decisions.
- Middle school – FutureSmart: Financial Literacy—Students become “mayor” of the town and learn how to manage their finances, make sound decisions, and achieve financial and career goals. Plus, this course includes a scholarship opportunity—encourage your students to apply!
- High school – EVERFI: Financial Literacy—Allow students to explore any of the eleven lessons covering everything from consumer skills, banking, credit, financing higher education, employment, and more in our financial education 101 course. o Tax Simulation: Understanding Taxes—Help your working students develop confidence about handling their taxes with this practical, hands-on simulation.
🎓 Future-Ready: Preparing Students for College and Careers 🚀
Financial literacy is a key component of college and career readiness. By equipping students with financial knowledge and skills, teachers can help them succeed in higher education and their future careers, ultimately contributing to their long-term financial well-being.
Several of EVERFI’s courses encourage middle school and high school students to explore the ROI (“return on investment”) of different levels of education, as well as different careers. For example, our STEM Career Exploration and Accounting courses help students understand the financial and career benefits of pursuing these in-demand fields.
🎉 Money Matters Made Fun: Engaging and Interactive Learning 📚
EVERFI’s courses are designed to be engaging and interactive, making learning about finance fun and relevant. These resources can help capture students’ interest and make complex financial concepts more accessible and understandable.
Whether you’re using interest rates to teach multiplication, having students calculate unit price to stay within budget on a room makeover, or encouraging students to budget for a financial goal like a concert ticket or new car, money matters are everywhere!
In your classroom, these real-life applications seamlessly connect the skills you already teach to students’ financial futures. By making these connections, you inspire students to see the relevance of their learning and empower them to take control of their financial future!
“In your classroom, these real-life applications seamlessly connect the skills you already teach to students’ financial futures. By making these connections, you inspire students to see the relevance of their learning and empower them to take control of their financial future!”
Graphic courtesy of the author
🎯Hitting the Standards: Financial Literacy Meets Indiana’s Goals 📈
An added bonus? Teaching financial literacy aligns perfectly with Indiana’s educational standards. These standards cover a wide range of topics, including financial responsibility, income and careers, managing money, credit and debt, risk management, and saving and investing. They’re designed to help students develop critical thinking and decision-making skills essential for their financial well-being and can be introduced beginning in elementary school.
By integrating EVERFI courses into your curriculum, you can provide students with the tools they need to make informed financial decisions, ultimately contributing to their long-term financial success. Plus, you’ll be supporting Indiana’s educational goals and helping to create a financially literate generation of Hoosiers! For more information about alignment to standards, check out your EVERFI dashboard.
🆓 Free and Fabulous: High-Quality Resources at No Cost 🌟
EVERFI offers free, ready-to-use digital resources that are fabulous for busy classrooms. These resources are developed by experts and designed to be user-friendly for both teachers and students, making it simple to incorporate financial literacy into your curriculum without additional planning time or costs.
Ready to start planning for April? Create your account today and explore the resources to find the perfect fit for your classroom. Once you’ve found your connection and added a course or two to your class, create a plan to implement it. Perhaps you’ll have “Money Mondays” or “Fin Lit Fridays” during the month of April—you know your students best!
If you ever have questions or need support implementing EVERFI courses in your classroom, please reach out to your local rep, Kristin Pierce, at kristin.pierce@everfi.com.
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