Early County getting a jump start on personal finance lessons with students

BLAKELY, Ga. (WTVY) – The state of Georgia has put the personal finance curriculum at the forefront of next school year, but Early County Schools wants their students to get a jump start now.

In a partnership with Five Star Credit Union, Early County Middle and High School students have the chance to participate in the sponsored financial literacy program.

“So many people don’t have that base, or that foundation, and going forward we just expect them to understand as adults,” says Mike Bridges, VP of Marketing and Communications, Five Star Credit Union.

Making dollars make sense is taking on a new meaning for children sixth grade and higher with the help of financial literacy curriculum provided to teachers in Early County through Banzai.

“It helps them learn what is a checking account, how to maintain a checking account, what is a credit score, why is that important, if I wanna buy my first home or first car, those are things that this program does,” says Bridges.

Bridges says this is more than a financial commitment for the credit union, and they will be getting in the classroom themselves.

“A lot of times they would like us to come in and give a financial presentation,” says Bridges. “Most of what we hear is, ‘I dreaded it until I did the curriculum’ and it was fun”

In feedback, Bridges says students learn big lessons to help break generational financial curses, especially in rural areas like Early County.

“I now have a little bit more respect for my…