The Jaffrey Public Library is one of three New Hampshire libraries to receive an American Library Association grant for youth financial education.
The American Library Association and FINRA Investor Education Foundation have announced a total of 300 libraries across the country and the Northern Mariana Islands will receive a “Thinking Monday for Kids” program, which will help libraries offer financial education for children ages 3 to 12.
The kits include materials to host up to five in-person programs, as well as a set of digital games on tablets that can be checked out. They include interactive financial literacy experiences, including simulations, collaborative games and money math. Each kit includes a set of Playaway Launchpad tablets.
The value of the kits is $2,000, said Library Director Julie Perrin, and the programs are expected to start in the fall. They will run through the remainder of 2024 and throughout 2025. Perrin said that despite the programs being advertised for a broad age range, the Jaffrey library will likely run the same program, tailored for specific age groups, so that youths can get the most of the experience.
Perrin said it’s important for modern libraries to take a wide view of the concept of “literacy.”
“Sometimes people think of libraries as only catering to traditional literacy, but there are many skills to be addressed with learning, including financial literacy,” Perrin said.
Perrin added that in an increasingly digital world, there are young adults now who rarely actually handle money or have to use skills like making change.
“We’re losing certain skills. To give that foundation for children to learn concepts related to money is still important,” Perrin said.
The library already has some programs designed to do that, Perrin said. One of its digital games available at the computing stations lets children run a pizza parlor, with an emphasis on business-related math such as budgeting and making change, and math kits that are money-specific.
“When we ‘gameify’ some of these concepts, kids become actually really interested, and are learning a lot of skills, without realizing it,” Perrin said. “I think us being able to be able to rebuild some of those skills in a digital world is really helpful.”
Perrin said she expects to receive the grant materials this summer, and staff will be trained on the program materials before implementing them with the public as early as September.
As part of the program, digital games are available online for free, for anyone to access.
Interested citizens or library workers can visit ala.org/thinkingmoneykids for more information and resources, including additional financial education games and a list of book titles to teach young people about money.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.