Local students have access to financial literacy education

Originally posted in Lakefield Standard

United Prairie Bank is helping to bring financial literacy education to students in the Jackson County Central School District.

Students at the JCC High School and Riverside Elementary School in Jackson now have free access to Banzai, an award-winning online program and content library that allows users to practice real-world finance from the safety of their home or classroom using any Internet-enabled device.

Through the Banzai online courses, students try out managing a budget, saving for a goal and dealing with unexpected financial pitfalls. Teachers are able to monitor and grade student progress remotely. Other resources, which include articles, calculators and personalizable coaching sessions, explain everything from the basics of filing taxes to how health insurance works.

“Thanks to United Prairie Bank, area students will now have access to a wide array of courses and resources designed to help prepare them for our increasingly complex world,” said Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai. “We wouldn’t be able to provide these tools without their support.”

For two years, United Prairie Bank has worked with Banzai to build financial literacy across southern Minnesota by invest- ing time, money, industry experience and a variety of bank resources. Now, students have access to Banzai learning tools, virtual or in-classroom presentations from a United Prairie Bank expert and even class visits to a branch to see it all in person.

Banzai resources are used by more than 72,000 teachers across the United States and are available to more than 2,280 students and residents Jackson and several other surrounding counties. These educational tools align with Minnesota’s state curriculum requirements. After finishing the Banzai courses, users will know how to track where their money is and what it's for, recognize financial tradeoffs and plan for a financially sound future.