Experian Underwrites Jump$tart Coalition’s First National Financial Literacy Conference for Educators

Submitted by Dan Pittman

Costa Mesa-based Experian was the underwriter of the Jump$tart Coalition’s first-ever National Educator Conference, which was held recently in Washington, DC. Created to help educators meet the challenges of teaching personal finance in hard economic times, the forum drew more than 250 classroom teachers from 46 states.

The forum was developed in conjunction with the National Education Association (NEA), and featured several Washington dignitaries. Sheila C. Bair, FDIC chairman, delivered the keynote address, and Anna Bernanke, wife of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and a long-time classroom teacher herself, hosted the opening reception at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

“Experian was proud to be able to collaborate with Jump$tart on this event,” said Maxine Sweet, vice president of Experian North America’s Public Education group. “The conference gave us the opportunity to reach out to the educators of our nation’s youth and tell them how much we appreciate what they do. It was truly amazing to see the dedication and passion these educators have for reaching students and their parents with knowledge and skills that can change their lives.”

The conference agenda included an information-packed luncheon speech from Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, who urged the audience “to think like a kid”; and, an exposition on credit reporting from the Experian team. Michael Rubin, author of the bestseller Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck, spoke passionately at Sunday’s closing session about his “ten strategies for saving.” Attendees were also treated to a performance of “Mad About Money” put on by the National Theatre for Children.

“Throughout the conference,” Neil Milner, chairman of the Jump$tart Coalition, noted, “I had teachers tell me how much they appreciated the program and the opportunity to attend. In fact, some took personal time and paid their own way to be there. That truly shows the dedication of these teachers that we tried to recognize this weekend.” Many other teachers were sponsored by Jump$tart state coalitions and NEA state affiliates.

The extensive program included three different strands of breakout sessions for teachers – all focused on teaching financial literacy in the classroom - and an exhibition room featuring educational resources by national Jump$tart Coalition partners from across the country. As the nation’s leading advocate for youth financial literacy, the Jump$tart Coalition offered classroom educators teaching grades K-12 an opportunity to see, learn about, and try educational resources that could be integrated immediately into current lesson plans.

“I believe we accomplished what we set out to do,” said Laura Levine, Jump$tart Coalition Executive Director. “We brought these motivated teachers together, not only to provide them with relevant information and resources that they can use right away, but also, to demonstrate that they belong to a larger community of teachers and organizations that share their commitment to financial education.”