Did You Know…?
…New Hampshire consistently ranks in the top 5 states in the United States with the highest average student loan debt?
Source: Project on Student Debt by The Institute for College Access & Success.
The Need
For young people to be truly financially literate, we believe that they need effective class-room based financial education throughout their school years.
That’s why the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy launched CheckYourSchool.org. The goal is to harness the passion and energy of parents, grandparents, caregivers, friends, teachers, and students to encourage everyone to “check your school” and start a conversation about what your school is doing to address financial literacy.
The Goal
The Check Your School search tool is a mechanism for parents, educators, students, and community members to check whether financial education is being offered; to start a conversation about the importance of financial literacy for students, their parents, and their communities; and to be part of a groundswell of individuals working to improve the lives of future generations through effective classroom-based financial education.
Define “your school” however you like—your child’s school, your own school, your alma mater, the school where you work or where you volunteer—because every school in America should offer effective financial education to every student, every year.
Financial Education in New Hampshire
New Hampshire has state standards for personal finance within our state educational requirements,… the ONLY state in New England! The standards are listed within the Economics graduation requirement and follow the National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education published by the national Jump$tart Coalition.
In 2020, NH Jump$tart released its updated NH High School Survey detailing the extent of personal finance instruction in New Hampshire high schools. The study revealed that 10 school districts in New Hampshire required a standalone personal finance course for graduation in their district in addition to the state requirement of Economics. We need more school districts to do this!
Get Involved
For Parents!
Learn More – To learn more about Project Groundswell and become part of the national campaign, click here.
Ask for More – To contact your local school superintendent and ask them to add or expand financial education to their curricula, click here for the SAU listing provided by the New Hampshire Department of Education.
Provide Support – To indicate your support of financial education in New Hampshire classrooms, please join our online call for inclusion!
For Educators!
Many of you also experience the education system from both sides: as a parent and as an educator. As a parent (or grandparent, guardian, family member, friend, or neighbor), we hope you’ll start on our Parents Page and tell us about financial education at your own kids’ school. If it’s not the school where you work, you can help us start the conversation there. Your clout as a parent and your credibility as an educator are a potent combination.
As an Educator, we’ve created a special Educators Toolkit with resources, best practices, and content to help you bring financial education to your school—or to improve what is presently offered. You can also help us by using the Educators’ Add a School form to tell us about financial education where you work!
For the Community!
Here’s what you can do to help:
- Contact your local school board or school superintendent and express your support to have personal finance included in your district’s program of studies.
- Join our call for inclusion in support of the teaching of personal finance in the classroom.
- Start a conversation about the importance of financial literacy for our children in your social media circles.
Other Resources
Listed above on the teal navigation bar, are just a few ways that you can make a difference. We invite you to take a moment and please visit (by clicking) one of these areas to receive additional information about us here in New Hampshire.
For more information on becoming involved with us, please contact Dan Hebert, State President, at 603-731-1812 or email dhebert@nhjumpstart.org.
The NH Jump$tart Coalition is an all-volunteer, charitable 501(c)3, not-for-profit organization. As such, we rely on the generous support and contributions from organizations that believe in our mission. For more information on making a donation to the NH Jump$tart Coalition, 2020 Sponsor Form.