CONTACT: Susan Miller
317.816.9760
smiller@hickmanassociates.com
Nation’s First Money Bus Set to Roll in Indianapolis
(April 10, 2006 – Indianapolis, IN) Indiana teachers will board the nation’s first Money Bus during the Indiana Teachers Financial Literacy Conference on Monday, April 10th. A project of Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University, the Money Bus is a 40-foot, technology-loaded custom motor coach that functions as a mobile financial literacy classroom. The experience is wrapped in the Kids Count on the Money Bus™ comprehensive curriculum and 13 on-board exhibits and classroom activities, all mapped to state curriculum standards and targets students in grades 3 to 5, with lessons about personal finance.
On-board experiences range from the Call It! Arcade to the Wild Rides audio-video sensory ride to Donation Concentration. Each exhibit provides interactive lessons on money concepts including budgeting, saving and spending as well as delayed gratification and charitable giving.
The Money Bus will begin piloting in Indiana schools in the fall semester of the 2006-2007 school year. Teachers may sign up for Money Bus visits during the April 10th conference. “Teachers told us that they needed quality materials tied to standards, with resources that could be coordinated with the actual bus visit and incorporated into daily lesson plans,” said Elizabeth Coit, executive director of Networks Financial Institute.
The Money Bus aims to reach Indiana children with messages regarding personal finance early in life. “As Indiana leads the nation in home foreclosures and personal bankruptcy, there is an urgent need to begin reaching individuals earlier in life with messages of financial responsibility,” said Dr. Lloyd Benjamin III, President of Indiana State University
Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University was founded in 2003 with a grant from Lilly Endowment. NFI strives to facilitate broad, collaborative thinking, dialogue and progress in the evolving financial services marketplace, concentrating on the areas of education, outreach and research.
Headquartered in Indianapolis with offices in Washington, D.C. and on the campus of Indiana State, and with outreach internationally, NFI’s goal is to serve as a catalyst for change in the financial services industry.
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