The Power of Partnership: Money Sense in the New Berlin School District
Since 2019 New Berlin Eisenhower and New Berlin West have joined forces with SecureFutures to introduce the Money Sense “To Your Credit” lessons to nearly 1000 students, enhancing their financial knowledge and skills. This spring, 20 volunteers set out to deliver the financial fundamentals program to 190 seniors at West and 161 juniors at Eisenhower.
Integrated into Eisenhower’s academic and career planning curriculum, Money Sense addresses essential personal finance topics like credit management, and budgeting, aligning with the school’s college, career, and life benchmarks. According to Associate Principal Kevin Gemignani at New Berlin Eisenhower, the Money Sense program checks a lot of boxes. “SecureFutures provides the authentic learning we’re always striving for. It’s very applicable and concrete. The students find what they learn in the Money Sense lessons meaningful and they can connect it to their own lives.” As Sara, a student at New Berlin West explains, “Many people are uneducated when it comes to financial literacy. These concepts are important if you want a successful future. I want to make good financial decisions and have a good credit score.”
One of the aspects of the Money Sense program that Principal Gemignani finds most valuable is the involvement of business community volunteers which he believes enriches the learning experience, offering students insights into real-world financial practices. “Having a professional come in and teach the students carries a lot of weight with them. They get to learn from people working in the business about how they got to where they are and their successes and failures.” Not only are students learning money management skills from these volunteers, but they’re making connections as well. “I had one particular case where a student was asking a volunteer questions about what he does for a living and by the end of the class they had exchanged information. That student made a connection to someone in a career field they were interested in, so it’s not just about the programming, it’s about mentorship.”
So far in the 2023-2024 academic year more than 3,000 teens have been served by the Money Sense program with 98% reporting that the course will positively affect the way they handle money from now on. That’s the power of access and opportunity. If you’re interested in bringing the Money Sense program to your school or community-based organization, contact Pa Vang at pa@securefutures.org.
