Massachusetts Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy
An Independent Affiliate of the Jump$tart Coalition
Massachusetts Jump$tart is a statewide coalition of community-based organizations, education and financial institutions, government agencies, for-profit businesses, and individuals supporting and delivering personal financial education to Hawaii youth from birth to college-age.
About Us
The Massachusetts Jumpstart Coalition unites and supports the state’s education community in integrating financial literacy into students’ school experience.
The challenge facing financial literacy education in Massachusetts is twofold: the complexity of accessing and understanding materials is high and, based on a breadth of competing demands, the capacity of educators is low. Massachusetts Jumpstart addresses these issues by:
- Partnering with curriculum providers and the national coalition to make it easy for teachers to find and evaluate the materials they need
- Providing training and grants to increase expertise and support innovation
- Creating communities for sharing experiences and supporting one another
- Recognizing and celebrating teachers’ hard work and courage in bringing personal finance education into the classroom
We also invite partners to join us in this mission – parents, students, administrators, corporations and other non-profits – by advocating for the inclusion of personal finance education in schools statewide.
We were founded as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2004, and are associated with the national Jump$tart Coalition, known for its clearinghouse of financial literacy resources, as well as its national standards for K-12 financial literacy education.
Financial Literacy Defined
The Massachusetts Jump$tart Coalition uses the national Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy®’s definition of financial literacy:
“the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage one’s financial resources effectively for lifetime financial security.”
We are also in agreement with the national coalition’s perspective that: “financial literacy is not an absolute state; but rather, a continuum of abilities that is subject to variables throughout the life cycle. It is an evolving state of competency that enables individuals to respond effectively to ever-changing personal and economic circumstances. Further, it matters less that a high school graduate can define financial terms and more that he or she can find answers and evaluate factors toward making sound financial decisions.”
Get Involved
A Challenge:
A Massachusetts high school student can send and receive money from more than a dozen digital payment apps, trade stocks, options and commodities and crowdsource funds for business ideas. They can also open credit cards, take on student debt and use check cashing and payday lending services.
All without knowing how interest rates work, basic investment principles, and how to set up and manage a budget.
Massachusetts is one of just five states nationwide without any requirement that economics or financial literacy be taught in schools. While there is a core of dedicated teachers, administrators and parents willing to take on the challenge, it’s not easy for them to track down and evaluate the breadth of available resources, or to find communities in which to share ideas, best practices and support.
An Answer:
The Massachusetts Jump$tart Coalition is committed to preparing students for the real world of money. We’re part of the national Jump$tart Coalition, known for its clearinghouse of financial literacy resources, as well as its national standards for K-12 financial literacy education. Established in 2004, our recent efforts have been behind the scenes. But we’re stepping up our efforts to create a community that makes financial literacy education more effective and accessible.
We support the educators who take on the challenge of financial literacy by:
Partnering with curriculum providers and the national coalition to make it easy for teachers to find and evaluate the materials they need
Providing training and grants to increase expertise and support innovation
Creating communities for sharing experiences and supporting one another
Recognizing and celebrating their hard work and courage
We Need Your Help:
Leadership and expertise are essential to our growth and revitalization. Can you help with:
- Marketing and Communications? – Creating and sharing content for our website and social media accounts, targeting key audiences and defining and executing digital and off-line marketing strategies.
- Content and Curriculum? – Evaluating and giving context to available resources to get the right tools into the right hands, and identifying individuals, schools and districts who have experiences to share. Experienced educators are especially valuable here.
- Community Support? – Establishing strong relationships with businesses, non-profits, educators and school systems to ensure accessibility and relevance
- Financial Donations? – Supporting educators by funding training and recognition, and strengthening the coalition by increasing accessibility to financial literacy resources.
The financial decisions a student makes before the end of high school can establish a foundation for a lifetime of success… or a hole they might never get out of. We look forward to welcoming you into the Massachusetts Jump$tart Coalition.
Support the Coalition!
The Jump$tart Coalition is a charitable 501(c)3, not-for-profit organization. As such, in-kind donations, such as the printing of promotional materials or hosting of meetings and events, are greatly appreciated. The Coalition also welcomes monetary contributions.
“Many young people fail in the management of their initial consumer credit experiences, establish bad financial management habits and stumble through their lives learning by trial and error. The Coalition’s direct objective is to encourage curriculum enrichment to ensure that basic personal financial management skills are attained during the K-12 educational experience. The wheels of education do not need to be reinvented, they simply require balance.”
– Washington Jump$tart Coalition, 2009