Delaware Bankers Association

Teach Children to Save Day

Each April hundreds of banker volunteers teach a lesson on saving to thousands of elementary school students in public, private, and parochial school throughout Delaware.

In the 2017 effort 185 banker volunteers will teach an estimated 8,200 students in over 75 schools, throughout Delaware. Over 90 percent of Delaware’s banks participate in the Teach Children to Save Day event, the highest participation rate in the nation. Several bank presidents and special guests are also volunteering as teachers for the event, these include: Joe Westcott, Market President, Delaware, Capital One; Chip Rossi, Delaware Market President, Bank of America; Randy Taylor, Executive Vice President & Director of Private Banking, Fulton Bank; and, Sarah Long, President, Delaware Financial Education Alliance.

This year’s Teach Children to Save Day lesson is taken from the new book The Great Investo and the Million Pennies. The book teaches the value of saving consistently to build a financially secure future. The book was written and illustrated by Greg Koseluk of the Delaware Bankers Association. The book was created specifically for the 2017 Teach Children to Save Day event and was made possible by a grant from Capital One. The book is available from Amazon and other retailers.

Each year students are invited to participate in a poster to illustrate the importance of saving. This year's first place winner was Grace Starrett of Brandywine Springs School in Wilmington. Grace's poster - "Whether It's Cloudy or Sunny You Should Be Saving Money" - can be seen at left. Congratulations to Grace and all the winners!

The History

First held in Delaware in 1998, Teach Children to Save Day (TCTSD) is part of a nationwide financial literacy effort that works to educate elementary school students throughout Delaware, while targeting those from low- to moderate-income communities, on the importance of saving as the basis for future financial security. The primary goal is to foster sound financial practices in the students, with a secondary goal of informing and influencing the older generations on the benefits of saving. Through the program, children are encouraged from a young age to develop the habits that will help ensure their future economic independence.

The annual Teach Children to Save Day program is held in April, preceded by a special kick-off event featuring the Governor. The Delaware Financial Education Alliance (DFEA) works with the University of Delaware's Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (CEEE) to administer this program in the First State.