A conversation with Brittany Burroughs, Community Affairs Specialist, Consumer Education Section at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
So tell us, what’s new?
We launched a new product – Money Smart News for Kids! Helping youth learn about money and financial matters will set them up for good financial health as they become adults. Learning what banks do, why they are important, and how the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) keeps consumers’ money safe will help our youth participate in the nation’s economy.
FDIC Money Smart News for Kids, available in English and Spanish, includes nine chapters which introduce basic banking terms to children, who are perhaps just beginning to learn about finances. Each issue builds upon the next and introduces two characters who try out different financial concepts along the way.
Money Smart News for Kids is just the newest product we have to add to our family of products. The FDIC Money Smart financial education program is a comprehensive resource designed to foster financial skills and cultivate positive banking relationships for people of all ages. Our diverse array of products ensures that financial literacy is accessible to everyone.
What other FDIC Money Smart resources are available? 
For younger learners, the Money Smart for Young People (MSYP) program offers four distinct curricula tailored to various grade levels. Lesson plans and Parent/Caregiver Guides allow educators to teach fundamental financial concepts to students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
The Money Smart for Young Adults (MSYA) program covers key topics like student loans, budgeting, credit, and life milestones. Designed for ages 16 through 24, young adults can gain practical knowledge through interactive activities and engaging content, empowering them to make informed choices and build a solid financial foundation.
Each Money Smart lesson promotes real-world connections through student-centered learning experiences and aligns to the education standards and learning outcomes, including Common Core State Standards in mathematics and English language arts. An Education Standards Chart identifies which standards are met in each lesson.
Money Smart also offers a Guide to Organizing Reality Fairs. A reality fair is a simulation of an adult’s financial life that provides youth with an interactive experience for making real world financial decisions and managing money. Participants experience what it is like to have an account at a financial institution, decide how to use their money, obtain a loan, manage debt, and more. For youth, a reality fair can be an eye-opening, exciting, and fun way to build financial knowledge and skills!
Money Smart News is a monthly FDIC newsletter featuring tips, updates, and success stories for financial educators. The Teacher Online Resource Center, a collaboration with the FDIC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, offers tools to help you teach financial education including lesson plans, videos, and other resources.
How Money Smart Are You? is a suite of 14 games and related resources about everyday financial topics based on the Money Smart program. This educational tool provides practical knowledge to help consumers manage their finances with confidence. Users play games to learn more about earning, spending, saving, borrowing and protecting money. How Money Smart Are You? complements other Money Smart products that can be used in conjunction with financial literacy events, including webinars or workshops, in local communities.
What’s the impact this has had/or you hope it will have on moving financial literacy forward?
Financial education helps people gain skills and confidence to sustain a banking relationship, achieve financial goals, and improve financial well-being. For over 23 years, FDIC Money Smart has been used by organizations like banks, credit unions, non-profits, and community-based organizations to teach money skills to people of all ages and small businesses.
Money Smart News for Kids was written for elementary school students, we’ve had numerous comments from others.
How do we learn more?
You can find Money Smart News for Kids at: https://www.fdic.gov/resources/consumers/money-smart/money-smart-news/kids/index.html. All FDIC resources are easily accessible on our user-friendly Money Smart website. Explore, learn, and empower yourself and your community with the knowledge and tools necessary to make well-informed financial decision.
What else are you working on?
We are hosting a Money Smart for Young People orientation webinar on April 3 at 12:30 pm. We will be talking about all of our products that can be used for financial literacy for youth. Registration is available here.
Tell us more about your organization
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is an independent agency created by the Congress to maintain stability and public confidence in the nation’s financial system. Financial education is central to the FDIC’s efforts to expand economic inclusion and promote confidence in the banking system.
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Contact info:
Brittany Burroughs
Community Affairs Specialist
bburroughs@fdic.gov
