Elderly at Spanaway Lake High School are excited about completion, but they have concerns about wealth.
“How am I supposed to do my income? I don’t know anything about insurance! And this software only made it more interesting for me to learn more about it,” Senior Chanel Cruz said.
A financial education course that Kitsap Credit Union provides to schools throughout the Northwest for free that covers subjects that some children are eager to learn as they prepare for release is the software Cruz is talking about. A bill that would have made financial education a requirement for graduation was being considered by the Washington State Legislature this year (HB 1915), but it passed in the Senate on Friday night. Some schools, like Spanaway Lake High School, are finding way to offer financial training without it being legislated.
Heidi Ricardo, a long-time company professor at Spanaway Lake High School, said, “We’ve been doing this since 2019 and I think the biggest profit for the children is we have a consultant from the credit union that comes into the classroom.” They’re at the point where they’re a little unsure about leaving on their own, but they’re also a much excited about doing it, according to the software that provides them with all the basics.
As a senior who is graduating and needs to learn economic education, Ashley Ross, a second senior who has taken this course, “I was excited.”
All three elders Evening spoke to have already used what they’ve learned.
“Some of the things that we did know, I’m using today, which is really useful, like the whole taxes section. I only filed my income for the first time, being employed, and this helped a lot,” Senior Jeremy Sosa said.
Ashley Ross said, “So I was able to use the customer knowledge, what to look for in a used vehicle especially, and how to get my first vehicles using that information,”
“I do a lot of budget job. When I go away, I presently wonder, “do I really need this?” Is this a desire or a desire?” Cruz said.
When they finish taking this course, all students receive a “financial healthcare certification.”
It not only looks good on a resume, it’s a primary move towards a bright fiscal future.