Attorney General Mike Beebe’s Office, partnering with the Center for Student Credit Card Education, Inc., is offering a free credit card literacy program for high school seniors to teach students how to wisely choose and responsibly use a credit card before going on to college or out into the workforce. This is made possible through Citibank’s generous non-commercial sponsorship of the program. FYI, over 100,000 college, university and high school students have successfully received this training. By participating in the program, students will develop the skills necessary to build a positive credit history that will serve students today and for years to come. The curriculum includes:
* A primer, The ABCs of Credit Card Finance – Essential Facts for Students (a sample of the primer that will be provided to each student is attached in pdf format). One primer is provided for each participating student.
* A Trainer’s Guide and a PowerPoint Presentation to facilitate teaching the material, which takes approximately one hour of instruction time. Since most students will not self-educate on this topic, it is a REQUIREMENT of the program that this material be presented by an instructor.
* A generic Parent Letter. When the materials are mailed to the requesting teachers, a parent letter will accompany the primer. Teachers are asked to request that students deliver the letter home. The letter invites parents to take an active role in teaching the child about credit cards. The letter also informs parents that college-bound students will be able to obtain a credit card on a college campus without need of a prior credit history, employment, or a parent's cosignature. (All creative ideas to encourage students to deliver the letter home are welcome.)
To take part in this program, respond by sending an email to CreditCardEducation@arkansasAG.gov stating the name of the high school, the number of students to be taught, and the mailing address for receipt of the program materials. ALL REQUESTS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1, 2004.
Teachers will receive the program materials no later than March 2005 and must be presented to the students before the end of the 2005 school year. Teachers within one school are encouraged to share the Trainer’s Guide and PowerPoint Presentation and, if necessary, are free to duplicate them.