Teach Children to Save Day in Rochester, MN! April 24th, 2015

Six years ago, Paul Doerre, the Branch Manager for the U.S. Bank, East Circle Drive office in Rochester, introduced the 'Teach Children to Save' program to Rochester Public Schools.

What is Teach Children to Save Day?

'Teach Children to Save Day' is an annual awareness day when bankers demonstrate their community commitment by teaching young people about the value of saving. Visiting classrooms, youth centers, after-school programs and more, bankers use their real-world knowledge and professional skills to encourage young people to start young, and save more. This year's 'Teach Children to Save Day' is set for April 24. Visit www.aba.com for more information.

The first year, eight bankers visited the kindergarten and first grade classes at Riverside, the following years, they have presented the program at Washington, Harriet Bishop, Lincoln, and Elton Hills.

This year, it will be Riverside again, in the kindergarten and first grade classes. There are about 200 kids, eight sections, with two bankers in each class for a half an hour sharing their banking knowledge. The kids usually get an activity packet and sometimes even a piggy bank at the end!

“I keep doing this every year because, I feel it is important for kids to learn about the concept of money, no one really saves much anymore," says Doerre. "It is exciting to listen to all the stories, and interesting things, the kids will say.”

Teach Children to Save (TCTS) is a national program -- sponsored by the ABA Community Engagement Foundation -- that organizes banker volunteers to help young people develop a savings habit early in life. Since the program started in 1997, more than 177,000 bankers have taught savings skills to some 6 million students.

“I think the most rewarding thing about doing this is obviously, helping the kids," Doerre says. "And the teachers love to have us come, and how excited the kids are to learn about money!”