The provincial government recently announced that students across Alberta will build the fundamental life skills they need to grow into adulthood through support for financial literacy programming.
The Alberta government emphasizes that saving, budgeting, investing, and making smart financial decisions are essential life skills for youth as they transition to adulthood. To support this, financial literacy is being integrated into the K-12 curriculum. Additionally, the province is providing grants to three Canadian organizations to deliver specialized financial learning resources for students and teachers.
“We are proud to support financial literacy programming for students. Our ongoing support for financial literacy education will help young Albertans navigate their futures with confidence by helping them build the fundamental life skills they need to prosper and secure their futures in today's fast-moving world," explained Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education.
In order to give kids the financial literacy skills they need to succeed in life, the Alberta government allocated $5 million over three years in financial literacy programs in May 2022.
"Enriched Academy receives $900,000 per year, and the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education receives $500,000 per year to provide students in grades 5 to 12 with financial literacy programming, aligned with the curriculum, to improve their financial knowledge," the province shared.
Additionally, Junior Achievement receives $250,000 annually to teach kindergarten through sixth graders about entrepreneurship, work readiness, and experiential financial literacy.
“Our support for financial literacy programming will set Alberta’s youth up for success. This programming will ensure that Alberta’s youth develop the fundamental life skills they need to manage their finances, make sound financial decisions, and grow into adulthood with confidence," shared Nate Horner, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Finance.
A portion of the funds will help Enriched Academy's financial literacy programming, which includes a free live webinar for teachers and students in grades 4–12 today.
"The webinar will teach students how to build their credit with confidence and will feature an interactive gameshow format to engage and motivate students to learn how credit works and how to manage credit and their finances with confidence. Students and teachers who are interested in participating can register for the webinar online," stated the province.
Teachers can enhance financial literacy learning outcomes in Alberta's curriculum by using lesson plans, exercises, and interactive technologies found on the websites of all three organizations.
Each year, the three organizations' financial literacy programs reach over 350,000 students. A better foundation in financial literacy across all grades and a greater emphasis on financial literacy skills are features of Alberta's updated K–6 curriculum, according to the provincial government.
If you are interested in attending the webinar, click HERE. To apply for the grants, click HERE.
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