When I was a child, I didn’t know anyone who could read before they began Kindergarten. None of my friends had college funds, but most of us started college immediately following high school. I grew up on military bases and finished high school in Roswell, New Mexico. I can only remember a couple of classmates that dropped out of high school. In a class of 300, is was less than one percent. It seemed to me that these days, everyone had to pass a test on their education level before they were even allowed into Kindergarten. I even thought everyone had a college fund for their children. I assumed that today’s kids were all smarter than me, better educated than me and had more savings than I ever did. I now know that I was probably wrong! Sometimes I get so caught up in my own small universe that I am oblivious to the things that are just outside my own front door. Perhaps I should pick up a newspaper and read it!
Last week, while attending a function for Next Step KC, I heard some startling statistics about the link between poverty and the lack of education in the greater Kansas City area. Kansas City, Missouri’s school district has twice the dropout rate of the rest of the state and, approximately a quarter of a million adult Kansas City residents read below the 6th grade level. In addition, only 5% of students with no college savings complete college.
During the event, our guest speaker, Greg Housel, told us about the FDIC’s Money Smart for Adults. The Money Smart for Adults is an instructor-led curriculum which includes training modules that cover basic financial topics. These topics range from maintaining a checking account to the importance of saving. I couldn’t wait to get back to the office and check it out. I’ve already ordered their free “train the trainer” kit and am very excited to receive it. I had no idea that this kind of training was available free of charge.
At PRIER Products, Inc., our Mission Statement says “to help all partners become all they are meant to be, both inside and outside of PRIER”. We hold a monthly lunch and learn training and, I can’t think of anything more important than helping our partners build financial stability for themselves and their families. As an employer, it frightens me that the children in our community might not be prepared to fill our company’s future hiring needs. I have been fortunate enough to work on PRIER’s United Way Campaign and their most recent strategy for changing the future of Kansas City has really inspired me. People have to have food and shelter, be healthy, possess job skills and be able to read. PRIER matches employee’s donations dollar for dollar. Hopefully our donations volunteering will make a change in the Kansas City area while we continue work together, inside our company, to make ourselves and our families stronger at the same time.
