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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
A recent survey by the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy shows a growing number of high school seniors fail at financial literacy. At the same time, according to a national ranking for the 12 months ended March 31, Utah leads the nation in the rate of bankruptcy filings, at approximately one per 34.5 households. A coincidence? Zions Bank doesn't think so.
In an effort to help educate school-age children on finances, and provide parents and teachers with an aid in helping them teach children about money, Zions Bank has launched a Web site called BankJr.com.
Bank Jr., found on the Internet at www.bankjr.com, is fun as well as educational. Young visitors to the site will find several "attractions," including an interactive game that teaches the principles of good money management.
For teachers, BankJr.com offers instructional material on more than 70 financial topics. Much of the material was prepared to assist teachers in meeting curriculum teaching objectives, as recommended by the Utah State Office of Education. The "Classroom" link on the site is designed to be used at school by teachers of elementary and middle school children.
In addition, a "Teachers Center" provides instructions and ideas for teaching each topic in the classroom. There is also a current events section, a financial education newsletter, a bulletin board for sharing ideas with other teachers, and a listing of books currently available for further information.
For parents, the site suggests several ways they can help their children to enhance their learning.
And as useful as BankJr.com is for elementary and middle school students, Zions plans to launch a similar Web site later this year for students in high school.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
