Posts Tagged ‘kids’

Today’s Episode of “Personal Finance for Preschoolers”

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

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(photo credit: popofatticus)

Seems like the rash of recent economic disasters have woken America up to the fact that education in personal finance is practically non-existent in this country.

So financial educators are starting to pay more attention to the kids. (See, for example, SPEND.GROW.GIVE.) But there’s one little problem… For most kids, personal finance is, well, boring and irrelevant.

Sure, you can talk about it in an Elmo voice, but is that really going to make money matter to young children? And should personal finance education really start in preschool? Starting young probably can’t hurt, but you’ve also got to be smart about how you approach the topic.

What would be the best way for you to learn about personal finance?

What do you think you should know by now? Do you at least know where the money goes?

Living In Walt Disney World

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Walt Disney Co. plans to develop an expensive vacation-home real estate community – “Golden Oak” – in Walt Disney World in Florida.

  • Golden Oak homes will be priced between $1.5 and $8 million dollars, placing them at the very top of the Orlando area housing market.
  • Construction on the first homes is expected to be finished in 2011.
  • There is another real estate development next to the theme park – “Celebration” – that is more economically diverse and generally considered a successful project.

Facts & Figures

  • The average price of new home listings in the Orlando area in 2010 is about $243,000.
  • The proposed plan includes 450 homes, a 445-room Four Seasons hotel, 2 updated golf courses, a clubhouse, parks, walkways, and wetlands.

Best Quote

“This may be the first time that a kind of man-made entertainment center has generated that kind of real-estate activity.” – Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Dean of Architecture at the University of Miami

Doing Homework With No Home

Monday, October 5th, 2009

The federal government tried to look out for homeless students by requiring certain allowances be made to keep them in school. But in a bad economy, who should foot the bill for this crucial assistance?

  • In the wake of the recession, the number of homeless children enrolled in public schools has surged. The trickle-down effects of layoffs and foreclosures have begun to strain the resources of public school districts as they struggle to keep kids enrolled while their families deal with financial ruin.
  • Federal law requires that a special liaison to the homeless be appointed in every school district. In addition, districts must immediately place any student that enrolls without requiring proof of residence, and they must allow students to remain enrolled at the same school even when their families are forced to move.
  • Assistance can include special car or bus services and even special administrative positions created just to manage the school-related obstacles transient children face. Some of the cost of these services is absorbed by grants and federal aid, but still they present budget issues which are sometimes visited upon local taxpayers.

Facts & Figures

  • Since 2007, according to the Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, the number of homeless children seems to have increased by 75-100% in many school districts.
  • In the 2006-2007 school year, there were 679,000 homeless students reported. In spring of 2009, there were more than 1 million.
  • A school district in San Antonio saw the number of homeless students double this year to 1,000 in the first two weeks of school alone.

Best Quote

“We see 8-year-olds telling Mom not to worry, don’t cry.” – Bill Murdock, Chief Executive of Eblen-Kimmel Charities