Charles Schwab and Girl Scouts of the USA Modernize Curriculum for Financial Literacy Badges
Charles Schwab has partnered with Girl Scouts of the USA to modernize financial literacy badges for girls from kindergarten to high school. The new curriculum includes vital topics such as building wealth, entrepreneurship, and budgeting. This initiative aims to bridge the educational gap in financial management skills, empowering girls to navigate their finances confidently. As part of their commitment, Schwab fosters hands-on learning through real-world applications in the Girl Scout Cookie Program.
This partnership is designed to counter gender bias in financial education and provide vital skills for future leaders.
- Launch of an updated financial literacy curriculum, enhancing educational opportunities for girls.
- Partnership with Girl Scouts of the USA demonstrates Schwab's commitment to community engagement and youth empowerment.
- Focus on real-world applications, particularly through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, promotes entrepreneurship and financial skills.
- Helps address historical gender bias in financial education, aiming to empower girls in their financial futures.
- None.
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(Photo: Business Wire)
Learning about financial literacy is an important component of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, the largest entrepreneurial program for girls in the world, which offers real-world opportunities to apply lessons learned around goal setting, budgeting and planning, critical thinking, collaboration, and organization.
“The lessons learned from the financial literacy badges lay a strong foundation for the cookie sales program,” said
Throughout Girl Scout history, badge programs have included topics related to economics and money management. For example, the Matron Housekeeper badge, introduced in 1913, encouraged girls to understand how groceries were sold, by package, pound or bulk, and the first badge devoted to financial literacy, the Economist Badge, offered between 1922 and 1928, taught girls to track earnings and allowances, and oversee family’s groceries expenses and menu planning to use food economically. In recent decades badge programs like Business-Wise,
Research shows that, even today, boys and girls are often taught different financial topics. For example, boys are more likely than girls to be taught about wealth-building topics like investing, while financial education programming for girls continues to focus on topics such as household money management, budgeting and saving. The new Girl Scout curriculum addresses the gender bias that remains prevalent in the way girls and boys are taught about personal finance.
“In business, women are scarce in top leadership and entrepreneurial positions, representing just
In designing the new financial literacy badge series, Schwab supported GSUSA to create an activity-based experience to engage girls throughout their school years, tailored to their age and interests through a modular approach.
At the earliest stages of the new curriculum, Daisies and Brownies in kindergarten through third grade explore everything from the difference between wants and needs and creating a budget and saving. In grades four through eight, Juniors and Cadettes focus on earning, budgeting, tracking spending, and giving back. In high school, Seniors and Ambassadors sharpen budgeting skills, learn about credit and credit cards, and explore investing and wealth management. An important element of the Girl Scout troop model is that it pairs high-quality programming with active role models and supportive adults, including parents, which is proven to amplify the impact and reach of programming.
“It’s detrimental to send our girls out into the real world without the education and tools that can lead to financial independence,” said
GSUSA is one of the largest youth-serving organizations in the country, offering a myriad of opportunities for Schwab employees to volunteer and engage with local troops on financial literacy topics. In 2022, Schwab and GSUSA piloted volunteer models for financial literacy training in six key Schwab employment locations, aiming to create an effective and replicable employee engagement program that Schwab will launch nationally in 2023.
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At Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW) we believe in the power of investing to help individuals create a better tomorrow. We have a history of challenging the status quo in our industry, innovating in ways that benefit investors and the advisors and employers who serve them, and championing our clients’ goals with passion and integrity. More information is available at www.aboutschwab.com. Follow us on
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About
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230119005149/en/
Charles Schwab
415-823-3523
e.j.bernacki@schwab.com
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