Youth Initiatives

How to recruit teachers for the
NEFE High School Financial Planning Program

STEPS in finding and convincing teachers to implement the NEFE® High School Financial Planning Program® (HSFPP) with your help in their classes:

1. Identify prospects
The HSFPP is appropriate for all high school students and can be successfully integrated into several subjects, such as economics, math, consumer/life sciences, and social studies. It is written at an 8th-grade reading level. Contact NEFE (303-224-3516; jp@nefe.org) to see if any teachers in your area have asked for volunteers to help teach the program or to add your name to the volunteer list. To find new candidates, consider teachers your child has had, ask parents for suggestions, and seek recommendations of top teachers at PTA/PTO meetings.

2. Prepare your case
Demonstrate your willingness and ability to teach by summarizing program content and making the following points:

• Youth financial illiteracy is rampant (share statistics from the National Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy report "Financial Literacy: Improving Education" (download the online exective summary or order a print copy);
• The HSFPP puts curriculum concepts into a real-life context;
• HSFPP classroom materials and team-teaching assistance are provided as a public service at no charge;
• The HSFPP does not sell financial services or promote specific institutions;
• The HSFPP develops students' decision-making abilities, sense of financial responsibility, and long-term confidence about money management, helping them avoid excessive debt, bankruptcy, and related social problems such as divorce (share "Evaluation of the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program® 2003-2004)"
• HSFPP content is regularly subject to expert review and updating;
• The HSFPP can be incorporated into several different courses and adapted to a range of available time slots.

3. Present your case
Make an appointment with the prospective classroom teacher with sufficient time (20 to 30 min.) to explain the program's benefits. Start with an overview of the HSFPP's scope and connect the teacher's subject matter and HSFPP content as clearly as possible. Establish your qualifications (both formal and informal) to teach the material. Offer to speak with anyone else who would be involved in the decision to use HSFPP. (This will vary among school districts.

Note: Many teachers have the authority to add the HSFPP to their curriculum on their own. Others might need the approval of a department head, the principal, or even the school board. In any case, follow the teacher's lead.

Leave behind supporting material -- the HSFPP information kit, "Evaluation of the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program® 2003-2004," and testimonials ("What teachers & students say").

4. Follow up
At the first meeting, set a time for a follow-up contact. Make yourself available for meetings with the administration, if necessary. The timing of your initial contact and the degree of the teacher's interest will determine whether you can implement the HSFPP in the class during the current school year or will have to wait until next year.

CUNA's contact for questions about the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program is Philip Heckman (phone: 800-356-9655, ext. 4088; e-mail: pheckman@cuna.coop).

Copyright © 2008 - Credit Union National Association, Inc.