CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – State Treasurer Larry Pack on Friday spoke to students at Horace Mann Middle School in Charleston who participated in the State Treasurer’s Office’s “Get a Life” program, which is designed to teach students how to manage their personal finances before entering high school.
“Programs like ‘Get a Life’ help to prepare our students to live and succeed in the real world by presenting them with realistic budgeting challenges,” Treasurer Pack said. “We need to do more to ensure our children are ready to handle the financial challenges they will face later in life. Giving this experience early on will help plant the seed for them to be more successful as adults.”
About 120 students total participated in Friday’s “Get a Life” activity. There were two sessions of 60 students each.
“Get a Life” is an interactive simulation designed for the State Treasurer’s Office to promote personal literacy. Students are given a realistic family budget and must visit various business stations and manage an expense ledger. The program teaches both basic math skills and problem-solving techniques.
Community volunteers from local businesses helped complete the learning experience by serving as salespeople, insurance agents and doctors in the simulated world.
“My Office is pleased to work with Horace Mann Middle School and local business leaders to provide this meaningful educational opportunity to our students,” Treasurer Pack said. “Get a Life establishes strategies for living within a budget. It helps students understand needs versus wants. It also helps build basic math skills. I’m proud my Office holds these events to engage students with realistic family budget scenarios that will benefit them in the future.”
For more information on “Get a Life” and other educational resources available through the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office, visit www.WVTreasury.gov/Citizens/Financial-Education.
