Financial literacy doesn’t appear in most kindergarten curriculums. However, students in Allie Carenza’s class at Heritage Elementary are discussing dollars and cents in a really cool way.
Carenza’s classroom just completed a financial literacy unit as part of the Junior Achievement (JA) platform.
The JA Ourselves lesson introduces kindergarten students to the intersection of financial literacy and social studies learning objectives. Through hands-on classroom activities, the learning experience provides students with an overview of supply and demand along with needs and wants.
“Our students were invested in this unit from the very first day,” says Allie Carenza. “I was encouraged by their energy and effort throughout the project.”
Kindergarten students were able to explore key units of currency, while also keeping a focus on the concepts around finance. They learned about buying and selling, earning, saving, spending and the values associated with each. The students enjoyed the stories that Junior Achievement provided and even more, they found the real-life situations and facts that were shared were so engaging for them.
Junior Achievement is a volunteer-led organization, so that means a guest teacher in Mrs. Carenza’s class! Laurie Hughell, a physician assistant at Iowa Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center spent five 30-minute sessions with DCG kindergarten students.
“Having a wonderful volunteer like Laurie was such an awesome experience,” adds Carenza. “She was able to build relationships with our students and they responded so well to her.”
Click here for an overview of the kindergarten financial literacy program. DCG has a proud relationship with Junior Achievement. The district is lucky to be able to work with incredible community members and business volunteers who are willing to give their time and talents. Together we are shaping the leaders of tomorrow, one young entrepreneur at a time.
We are on the lookout for Junior Achievement volunteers for the 2024-25 school year. If you are interested in this project, please reach out to DCG Curriculum Facilitator Adam Tjeerdsma – adam.tjeerdsma@dcgschools.com.
