CLEARFIELD – CNB Bank determined over 14 years ago that there was a need to help area schools with the critical task of providing financial literacy programming for students in its communities.
According to the American Dream Education Campaign, “Students between the ages 15 to 21 years report that they feel unprepared to face the complex world of the 21st century.”
During the 2016-17 academic school year, CNB Bank continued its tradition of teaching students the importance of financial literacy. To date, more than 1,940 high school students in 25 schools throughout the CNB market area have taken the “How To Do Your Banking” program.
In addition, more than 1,590 elementary students in 43 schools throughout the CNB market participated in CNB’s Saving with Mandy and Randy program.
Both programs focus on financial literacy and were first introduced to area students by CNB Bank in 2003. “How to Do Your Banking” uses interactive video to teach high school students the value of good credit, how to determine their own capacity to borrow and repay and what they can do as young adults to build good credit.
Saving with Mandy and Randy is developed for second graders and focuses on basic money skills and savings principles. Students learn vocabulary words related to savings, identify and count coins, add and subtract dollars and cents, complete activity sheets and practice savings skills, even completing deposit tickets for savings accounts.
For each program, a bank representative made available to the classroom to support the teacher, facilitates discussion and answers questions.
“By sponsoring this program, we are reaching children at an impressionable age. If we can help them learn good money habits right from the start and raise their level of financial responsibility, it will be advantageous for them and the community alike as they grow into adulthood,” stated Greg Dixon, CNB market executive.
A teacher from Mapleview Elementary School in Punxsutawney commented, “[Saving with Mandy and Randy] is an excellent program. Thank you so much for providing it to us.”
Regarding the “How To Do Your Banking” program, a teacher from Curwensville Area Junior-Senior High School commented: “[The] program was excellent for my students. [It] reinforces Consumer Education basics and life skills.” Another from Clearfield Area High School said, “Awesome program. Keep it up.”
“Research shows that young people’s attitudes about handling money are determined by the time they finish fifth grade,” said Dixon. “As the area’s leading community bank, we are committed to working with our schools to provide students with the tools they need to become fiscally responsible adults.”
In addition, CNB has also recently launched a new, free financial education mobile app for children and the grown-ups in their lives. The C.N.Bear Savings app is designed to make learning money skills fun as it teaches children ages 3-10 years to set savings goals, keep track of their accounts and other money concepts through interactive games.
To download the app, simply go to your mobile device’s app store and search for “C.N.Bear Savings.”
