A leading provider of retirement strategies with headquarters in Greater Lansing recently introduced a financial education programs for kids through their new charitable foundation that advances financial knowledge on a national scale.
Jackson National Life launched the Jackson Charitable Foundation in late 2016. Their first order of business was to rollout Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids during Financial Literacy Month. The financial education program teaches basic money concepts to kids 7-12 through a series of three-minute music videos cast with animated characters that make real-world decisions about money.
Lansing's Post Oak Elementary School served as the pilot for the Cha-Ching program in early spring. Coordinated through a partnership with Junior Achievement USA, the five-week "JA Our City" program for third graders combined watching videos with facilitated discussion on spending, saving and donating money; different forms of money like cash, debit and credit; and entrepreneurship.
"These videos and activities help kids see money concepts in real life and everyday situations," says Danielle Robinson, executive director of the Jackson Charitable Foundation. "Personal finance affects people at every stage of their life. We think it's important not to wait until people are on the verge of retirement, but to get people learning the basics at an early age."
Robinson says the Foundation hopes the free program takes off in a variety of school districts in the tri-county area, particularly those that work directly with Junior Achievement. The "JA Our City" classroom program will be funded for six years through the Foundation, and is anticipated to reach about 2.7 million students in 15,000 schools nationwide. The Foundation has also invested in partnerships with Discovery Education to distribute the Cha-Ching program through broadcast and web channels. Cha-Ching currently broadcasts to eight Asian markets through the Cartoon Network.
Source: Danielle Robinson, Executive Director, Jackson Charitable Foundation
Writer: Ann Kammerer, News Editor
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