First Central Savings Bank (FCSB) and The Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens recently teamed up to bring financial awareness education to young children in Richmond Hill.
The students who participated are part of the Metro Boys and Girls Club’s Lights On Afterschool Program, which provides a safe place to go when school is out by offering opportunities to learn new ideas and discover new skills.
Anna Marie Vallone, vice president and business development officer at FCSB, led the classroom instruction with a customized curriculum designed to help young students navigate the economic arena.
“The bank always likes to take the opportunity to teach and instruct as much as we can in terms of learning for the children, and the piggy banks are such a great way of doing that, especially in the pre-K age group,” Vallone said.
FCSB donated 50 piggy banks in hopes of encouraging interest in financial awareness. The piggy banks accompany hands-on learning to build positive financial habits.
“Using a piggy bank is a great way to get children started on their savings journey,” Vallone said. “Kids who are very young may not understand the value of money, but over time, seeing the number of coins and notes increase will have them excited. This lets them know that money grows when you keep it safe.”
Even at 5 and 6 years old, Vallone said the kids loved the financial lesson.
“The kids were so wonderful and happy to be there. I think just being there gives them a sense of community, a sense of instruction and connecting with others,” Vallone said.
The bank talked with the students about saving their coins and the importance of using the piggy banks, not only as a toy but as a saving tool.
“It’s great to be able to relate money to savings and a toy and put it all together in a curriculum for young children,” Vallone said. “The bottom line is that we try to help them have fun and if we can add to that and teach them a little bit about saving money in the process, then it’s a win-win for all of us.”
