Federal Reserve Offers Personal Finance Virtual Summer Camp For At-Home Kids

With many traditional summer programs disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, parents and guardians are searching for ways to keep kids engaged until classes resume in the fall.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis is hosting a free Personal Finance Virtual Summer Camp 2020 for elementary students (grades 3-5) and middle school students (grades 6-8), offering free courses in personal finance and other core money skills.

"Research shows that children can develop their financial behaviors as early as age 7, so it's vital to introduce financial literacy at a young age," said Mary Suiter, economic education officer at the St. Louis Fed.

Spearheaded by St. Louis Fed economic education experts, the camp offers videos, quizzes, online courses to assist campers discover and apply essential concepts such as how money works, how to evaluate, everyday decisions and how savings and credit are used.

Special syllabuses are also created for each day, according to the program description.

The camp is available any time from May 20 to August 14. It is designed to last one to two hours each day, for five total days. The camp automatically tracks a child's progress, and adults may follow along.

Parents and guardians who are interested can visit www.econlowdown.org/student and choose the Google log-In button.

To join the Elementary School Virtual Summer Camp (grades 3-5), enter the classroom code WMTJhNu and to join the Middle School Virtual Summer Camp (grades 6-8), enter the classroom code wsATScu.