Learn financial literacy | UDaily

Students at Shortlidge Academy in the Red Clay Consolidated School District saved thousands of dollars this year for a special celebration that included a bouncy castle game.

Of course, the money wasn’t real U.S. currency—the school minted its own bills to give out as rewards for acts of kindness or good behavior in class. But students still got to practice the concept of saving.

The fun lesson followed the national “One School, One Book” concept, which was specifically geared toward financial literacy. The University of Delaware’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, part of the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, hosts an annual book drive to teach young children important financial skills and concepts. The event is sponsored by the Delaware Council on Economic Education and funded by the TD Bank Charitable Foundation.

Launched in the 2021-22 school year, the program meets another important goal for both CEEE and school districts: to engage families in the subject matter and their children’s education.

Bonnie Meszaros, a longtime CEEE employee and inducted into the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame for her efforts to teach financial literacy to children across the state, created this program. Although she is reportedly retired, she still runs the program, which has a particular focus on schools in low-income areas.

“My overall goal was to create a sense of community around reading in a school,” Meszaros said. “I don’t think it’s enough to just give kids a book to take home… My idea is that this draws attention to a concept of personal finance or economics that may not be covered during the school day. But I think even more important to me is the sense of involvement of families and communities.”

Christine Moyer, reading specialist at Shortlidge, agrees.

“We love giving students a new book. And then they can take the book home and show it to others… so it’s super important to get parents involved too,” she said.

Meszaros looks for books that teach sound financial lessons and then consults with schools to find out which book is best for them.

Previous books include Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier, New shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer and A boy, a budget and a dream by Jasmine Paul (who signed her books for the school). They are available not only to students, but also to administrators, teachers and staff.

Shortlidge gets creative and incorporates fun activities, like the moon bouncing around the stories. They even incorporate the lessons into math classes.

New shoes tells a fictional story based on historical facts about a black girl during racial segregation who experiences discrimination and humiliation when buying a new pair of shoes.

The students’ families could relate to this – some of them had had similar experiences and came to the school to tell their stories.

When the children read Beatrice’s Goatabout a girl in Uganda whose family was able to send her to school thanks to the donation of a goat, they donated money to Heifer International to make a similar gift themselves.

“The schools have been incredibly creative in using the books,” Meszaros said.

This year’s moon hopping activity, based on a story about a boy who has to save to reach a goal, was a hit, Moyer said. “It was just very tangible and they really enjoyed it.”

Shortlidge’s home currency was also well received by teachers. They appreciated the motivating effect it had on the children and wanted to continue using it.

“They always have these great ideas to involve families and the community in the book we choose,” Meszaros said.

In Shortlidge alone, 462 books were distributed through the program this year. Other participating schools included Christina School District’s Wilson Elementary and Colonial’s Eisenberg Elementary.

The program is “just a win-win for everyone,” Moyer said, as it offers many learning opportunities and life lessons and provides a chance to share a reading experience with families who may not have many books at home.

“We love it,” she said.