Author: iowajumpstart

Contests, Financial Literacy Tools, Scholarships

At Home Financial Literacy Challenge worth $10,000

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The National Financial Bee

Compete for a chance to win a college scholarship up to $10,000!

Calling all parents and caregivers! The Iowa Insurance Division is proud to sponsor the EVERFI National Financial Bee, a first-of-its-kind nationwide financial literacy challenge for students in 7th-10th grade. This year’s virtual challenge will take place April 20-24, and we want YOU to participate!

During Financial Literacy Month, and especially during this time of unprecedented uncertainty, we are committed to helping our Iowa Insurance Division team and their families plan for their financial future and find ways to pay for college. The National Financial Bee provides an opportunity for students to have some fun and learn critical financial concepts — all from the comfort of home while social distancing!

The five-day challenge was created by social impact education innovator EVERFI, our partner in financial education. Each daily lesson covers important financial topics covering everything from savings, investing, income, debt and more. After completing the lessons, students submit a short capstone essay in which they share their biggest financial dream and outline a plan for how to get there. Three winners of the National Financial Bee will receive up to $10,000 in college scholarships.

How It Works

Students can participate in just 3 easy steps:

  1. Visit the National Financial Bee website https://iid-iowa.everfi-next.net/welcome/national-financial-bee
  2. Complete the 5 lessons (~10 minutes each)
  3. Submit a short essay on your biggest financial dream and how you plan to achieve it by May 8th.

The National Financial be is open to all our Iowa Insurance Division employees, their immediate and extended families, and the communities we serve. We will be promoting the challenge across our social media channels and encourage you to re-share with friends and family.

News/Accolades

Money Smart Week 2020 has been cancelled

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Money Smart Week 2020 Chairs and Supporters,
Due to the COVID-19 situation, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago has canceled the 2020 Money Smart Week campaign scheduled for April 4-11, 2020. 
We are announcing this decision now to provide the Money Smart community with ample time to adjust schedules.
Please cancel all Money Smart Week events, advertising and related efforts within your local communities.
The Money Smart Week National Team is coordinating a series of short consumer-friendly webinars to take place during the month of April, which is Financial Literacy Month. Details to come.  
 
If you have any questions, please post them on our communities platform.
We look forward to reengaging with you for Money Smart Week 2021.
-The Money Smart Week National Team
Contests, Financial Literacy Tools

Classroom opportunity with Iowa JumpStart

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Cache__BannerYou may have heard about the Cache! which is an online game for your classroom. It’s from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, it’s for Money Smart Week, it’s free to you – and there are prizes. Iowa teachers and students are eligible for the national prize as well as the Iowa JumpStart prize. It’s easy for your students to play, but you need to sign up by March 13 so they can access the site.

To participate:

  1. Teachers register and get details at this Money Smart link:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Cache2020
  2. Teachers get a code for their students to use – I will send an email to you.
  3. Students use any mobile device or computer to maneuver Ben Franklin through some 21st century financial hurdles and get him to the “portal” to answer the personal finance questions.
  4. Teachers can use Cache! as a fun activity or in conjunction with teaching a personal finance lesson.
  5. Students can play as many times as they wish from March 30 to May 5, 2020.
  6. Cache covers seven topics students should understand – credit scores, identity theft, car loans, student loans, debit vs. credit, paychecks and budgeting.

If you have questions, you can email joanne@kusterltd.com.

Thanks for teaching financial education in your classroom!

Financial Literacy Tools, Helpful Information

New Parent Service from Iowa Student Loan

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As most educators know, parent engagement is a key component to a student’s overall success in life, and studies show that parents remain the number one influencer in achieving that success. More than likely, any educator and school counselor struggles with how to positively involve parents in their own students’ lives. But how do we educate parents and guardians in their role of helping students plan for life after high school?

For those who know the process, it can be overwhelming; for first-generation or low-income families, it can seem impossible. Through focus groups, surveys and partnerships with school counselors and educational organizations, Iowa Student Loan performed research and reviewed academic studies about methods to increase parental engagement. The end result is the development of a parental engagement service that assists educators by providing parent-focused tools and resources, empowering and incentivizing parents to engage in their students’ future plans, whether that includes college or a career.

Called SP3 — Student Planning Pointers for Parents, the service provides twice-monthly emails to registered parents. The emails contain useful tips and information based upon their students’ current grade level and the month in which the email is sent. Parents of eighth through 12th grade students are able to access information and resources related to the timely topic. After answering a couple of survey questions, they are entered into a quarterly drawing to win a 529 college savings deposit for their student — $250 to 40 participants each quarter. The best part about the service is that it’s entirely FREE!

The objectives are to increase parental involvement in students’ career and college planning; provide parents with tools to help with their students plan; and coordinate the service with activities and curriculum occurring at schools. Parents register at www.sp3.org to receive emails and gain access to a personal dashboard with current and archived content.

Iowa Student Loan has consistently provided financial education and college planning tools to Iowans during its 40-year history to support its mission of helping students obtain the resources needed to succeed in postsecondary education. Tools like Student Loan Game Plan, College Funding Forecaster, Return on College Investment (ROCI), Grad Degree Gauge and the Parent Handbook are proof of our successful mission, as is ICAN, with whom Iowa Student Loan partners. Adding SP3 to our impressive endeavors further solidifies our standing as a premier nonprofit entity in Iowa.

News/Accolades

Iowa Teachers Going to Washington D.C.

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Six teachers that attended the Iowa Jump$tart Conference on June 14th, 2019 will be going to Washington D.C. to be a part of the biggest Financial Literacy Conference in the nation.  They applied and received the Iowa Jump$start Scholarship Award to enable them to attend the 2019 Jump$tart National Educator Conference on November 1-3.  Congratulations to these Iowa teachers! (picture does not match the order of list below)

  • Dan James from Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District, Dallas Center
  • Teresa Blackburn-Bentz from Glidden-Ralson Community School District, Glidden
  • Matt Graham from Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, Garner
  • Bonnie Pohl from Gilbert Community School District, Gilbert
  • Chealsee Klindt from Meredith Middle School, Des Moines
  • Abby Donald from Mason City High School, Mason City

Matt Pohlman from Mason Northwest was also a recipient, but he will not be attending.

Scholarships

$25,000 Scholarship from Sallie Mae

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Your student could win a $25,000 Bridging the Dream Scholarship. We’re seeking nominations from counselors and community leaders, like you, who see the challenges some students face in paying for college.

The nomination period is open now through September 26, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. ET. We’re only accepting 1,000 entries, so the sooner you nominate the better!

We’re looking for high school juniors and seniors

  1. who work hard and inspire others;
  2. have an inspiring story to tell;
  3. make a difference in their community; and
  4. who may need additional help when it comes to paying for college.

Visit salliemae.com/BridgingtheDream to nominate your student.

Want to see what Bridging the Dream is all about? Check out this video.

Do you want to help even more students learn about paying for college? Check out Sallie Mae’s free Paying for College Resource, which includes videos, checklists, tools, and more on timely topics like the FAFSA, award letters, scholarships, and student loans.

Financial Literacy Tools

Paying for College Resource

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Meet the Paying for College Resource. Your new, go-to destination to help students and families figure out how they’ll pay for college.

You’ll have access to free info and tools to help them make their plan:

  • Why to fill out the FAFSA
  • How to compare award letters
  • Finding scholarships
  • What to know about student loans

…And so much more!

Plus, check out the must-see video series.Watch by topic or the entire show to tackle questions about paying for college. They can be shown in the classroom, at financial aid nights, and more!

Get started at www.PayForCollegeResource.com

You’re a huge help to students and families as they plan for college, and we hope this resource can help you with the paying for college piece. Please feel free to share any of the resource’s info and materials on your school’s website, via social media, and with your peers. Attached you’ll also find a flyer to help spread the word.