Through partnerships with area schools, other libraries, and a nearby children’s museum, the Washington-Centerville Public Library provided hands-on family financial literacy activities for county residents, while building the capacity of parents and educators to boost the financial literacy of children and teens. The project learning outcomes aligned with the financial literacy strand of the Ohio Revised Standards in Social Studies. Library staff worked with school faculty and exhibit specialists from the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery to curate a traveling financial literacy exhibit. The exhibit helped children and teens learn how to lead financially responsible lives. Circulating money-themed kits extended learning into the home and served as a springboard for parent-child conversations about financial responsibility. A series of workshops and contests for children and teens complemented the exhibit and challenged participants to practice their new skills.
Key Activities:
- Conducted intergenerational public programming, with adult workshops on home-buying 101 and Social Security, and financial literacy contests and activities for children, tweens, and teens.
- Collaborated with curators from the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery to design a traveling hands-on financial literacy exhibit based on the learning objectives detailed in Money as You Grow, a website endorsed by the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability and now administered by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
- Conducted exhibit-related workshops, contests, and simulations for school children and their parents. The programming addressed financial fundamentals, such as saving, spending, borrowing, and financial mathematics.
- Leveraged the library’s existing fifth-grade visit program in the Centerville schools to introduce upper-elementary students at seven area schools to basic financial literacy concepts.
- Hosted an after-hours teen financial gaming event, which was profiled by the Dayton Daily News under the headline, “Programming Refuses to Go by the Book.”
- Prepared a financial literacy activity workbook for parents to use with their children. The workbook was distributed during public programs and through the library’s website.
