EVERFI Launches New Financial Literacy Course for Elementary School Students

EVERFI, Inc., the leading social impact education innovator, today announced its new financial education course, Vault: Understanding Money, designed for elementary school students in grades 4-6. Vault empowers young learners to be smart financial decision-makers via interactive real-life financial scenarios that focus on skill-building.  

Research has shown that starting financial education as early as elementary school is critical to laying the foundation for a healthy financial future. According to the Brookings Institute, because executive function significantly develops during the first decade of life, educational approaches that seek to develop it at an early age may benefit financial literacy for elementary students later in life. Further, by the time adolescents approach middle school, they have already developed the capacity to understand complex financial and economic concepts.  

“The importance of financial literacy cannot be overstated and time and time again the research points to the need to start students on their journey to financial literacy as early as possible,” said Ray Martinez, president and co-founder, EVERFI. “Research tells us that by age 12, students have an economic understanding that is described as ‘essentially adult.’ They are able to understand the benefit of saving and can grasp concepts like interest, supply and demand, and money outside of cash. Introducing these key financial concepts early and consistently prepares our youth to be skillful money managers in the future.” 

A digital education program that is available in English and Spanish, Vault leverages interactive and game-based learning to immerse students in real-life financial scenarios that teach how to make smart financial decisions. The course, which aligns with Jump$tart National Standards, CEE National Standards for Financial Literacy, and State-Based Financial Literacy Standards, and CASEL SEL framework, includes five modules that are approximately 15 minutes each. Topics covered include financial decision making, budgeting and spending, income and careers, credit and borrowing, and future planning. 

Vault features include:

• A fully gamified experience with an engaging narrative, interesting visual design, and mini-games.

• A strong focus on social-emotional learning through relatable connections to everyday life and decision making skills.
• A new interactive learning experience that requires higher cognitive demand and problem-solving skills.
• A diverse cast of characters that truly reflects the diverse audience of students taking the course.
• A fresh design that was driven completely by student feedback and inspired by popular cartoons.

“Knowing that early exposure to financial decision-making can shape lifelong financial preferences, attitudes, and behaviors is why we designed Vault to focus on the hallmarks of financial foundation building,” said Martinez. “Additionally, the Brookings Institute has reported that early, formal financial education can be ‘preventative,’ acting as a barrier against and corrective for detrimental misconceptions and habits before an individual is faced with substantive financial decisions. By starting our youth on a path to financial literacy from an early age, we are giving them the tools necessary to become confident in their ability to make smart financial decisions well into adulthood.”  

Vault: Understanding Money is available now for the 2020-21 school year. Financial institutions that are interested in sponsoring Vault in their community can contact EVERFI through the school sponsorship page, here https://everfi.com/financial-education/school-sponsorship/. Teachers who are interested in implementing Vault in their classroom can contact EVERFI through the teacher remote learning page, here https://everfi.com/k-12/teacher-remote-learning/.