Mainstreet Credit Union offers remote-learning financial literacy program

Originally posted on mycouriertribune.com

Area students are offered a free education in how to manage their money. Mainstreet Credit Union is working with Banzai, a national award-winning financial literacy program, to make online, remote-friendly curriculum available to 30 schools in Clay, Douglas, Johnson, Platte, and Wyandotte counties completely free, a press release states.

"Banzai is a web-based financial literacy program. Kids get their own accounts, and they work through assignments that are based on real life," said Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai. "But because Mainstreet Credit Union is sponsoring it, local schools get it for free. More than ever, it's important that kids develop sound financial skills to prepare them for the real world, and Mainstreet Credit Union realizes that and they're doing something about it."

Banzai is an interactive, online program supplemented by printed workbooks and aligns with Kansas and Missouri state curriculum requirements for personal finance education.

Course work can be completed on any internet enabled computer or mobile device and teachers are able to monitor student progress remotely. It has become the largest program of its kind, servicing more than 60,000 teachers nationwide, the release continues.

Mainstreet Credit Union has offered time, money, industry experience and a variety of credit union resources to help local schools teach personal finance in the classroom. Students using the program are exposed to real-life scenarios where they learn to pay bills and balance a budget – but it’s not always easy, the release states.

Students must learn to manage unexpected expenses such as parking tickets, interest charges and overdraft fees. The educational program also introduces students to auto loans, bank statements, entertainment costs, savings and more.

Teachers interested in using the Banzai program can visit mainstreetcu.teachbanzai.com or call 888-822-6924