www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, October 31, 2014 | 8 Students examine the books in financial planning lesson by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver Teaching children about prudent financial planning at an early stage can help them avoid the pitfalls of debt later in life. That's why Oakville's St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School and its parent council hosted a series of educational workshops and presentations earlier this month. Designed to help young students become fiscally literate and accountable, the Talk With Our Kids About Money seminars were funded from the provincial Parents Reaching Out Grants (PROGrant) initiative, which provided St. Matthew with $1,000. Students from full-day Kindergarten (FDK) to Grade 4 participated in a hands-on interactive workshop run by Dr. Radha Maharaj, author of The Kidonomics Series, while Kevin Maynard, vice-president of the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE), spoke to Grade 5-8 students. Maynard also hosted a lunch-and-learn workshop for teachers. According to the CFEE, 50 per cent of high Kevin Maynard | photo by Graham Paine school graduates are carrying debt. By that time, it's too late for education, says Rachael Weldrick, a member of the St. Matthew Parent Council's Education and Healthy School Committee (EHSC). "They're going to have that for 10 or 15 years to come. They're not going to be able to get out of that. So you're not setting yourself up well," said Weldrick. Oakville Injury & Pain Relief Center We make CustOm fOOt ORthOtICs! Call Today and book your `Complimentary' 3D foot scan! Certified Chiropodist On-site. No Referral Necessary. 30 Years experience in Orthotic Therapy. We Specialize In Custom Foot Orthotics and the latest 3D Foot Scan Technology! Book online at: schedulicity.com - search `atlantic foot Care' all fees covered by most insurance plans. · sport Orthotics · Golf · Diabetic · Dress Orthotics · tennis · Orthopaedic footwear · hockey/skate · Childrens · Compression stockings Book To See Our Chiropodist Today at (905) 338-5558 Limited time offer until June 1st, 2015. 2169 sixth Line, unit 2 (North of upper middle Road) | www.oakvilleinjuryandpainrelief.com "Parents don't realize you have to start really early because it gets to a point where it's really hard to dig yourself out." PROGrant also provides teachers and parents with educational materials to enable children to understand the importance of saving, spending and financial planning. Evelyne Borwankar, a registered nurse and member of the parent council's EHSC, said PROGrant helps bridge the children's learning at home and school. "We wanted to target everybody in the school and have everybody generate discussion and foster learning. We wanted it all-inclusive. Over a series of three days, we had Maynard come in and speak to kids from Grade 5-8," said Borwankar. "He used information from the website and showed teachers where to get information to use during their course curriculum to generate discussion in the classroom." Weldrick said Maynard divided his time into different lesson plans, which was a "different way" to approach children to get them interested and make it interactive. "The timing was really important for us because the kids are learning it during the day at school. The parents came in the evening, so now they can work together. Everybody has the same information," said Weldrick. "If they want to take it further, they can go on to the websites and follow these lesson plans. "Some are as fun as doing games or crafts. It's a different way of learning and having the kids learn about something so important," she added. Kindergarten students may not understand interest rates, Weldrick said, but they know the importance of money and will understand "the need to save and the difference between wanting something and the basic needs." What was important for St. Matthew was tailoring the programs to younger students, so it would "solidify the knowledge," Borwankar said. "If we can at least plant this seed in their mind at a young age, they can make better choices on how to spend their money, how to budget, how to save," said Borwankar. "If you're looking at 50 per cent of kids by high school are in major debt, what's going on? What do we need to do at the home level? What do we need to do at the school level? What do we need to do as a community to help prevent that?" she asked. A common problem is many parents are "very uncomfortable" discussing money with their children at home, Borwankar said. "If we can start it at the school level, then you can generate some of the discussion either through the stories (the students) read or through the songs Maynard played," said Borwankar. "He tied in some of the concepts from the songs to taxes or spending, which is an innovative way of teaching kids about money and financial literacy." Buying? Selling? Re-financing? GOLD Call me for a quote at 905-845-0767 ext. 222 1276 Cornwall Road, Unit C, Oakville Ontario, L6J 7W5 www.haxelllaw.com · lawyers@haxelllaw.com T: 905-845-0767 · F: 905-845-5552 Personal Professional Service at Competitive Rates