The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) awarded a grant to invest in books on financial literacy for five PWCS elementary schools which include Kilby, Marumsco Hills, Potomac View, Sinclair, and West Gate Elementary Schools. Funds from the grant purchased books to build a strong foundation for financial literacy skills at an early age. Two of the books bought through the grant include, "What is given from the heart," by Patricia McKissack, a story about a young boy learning to share with others over his own personal needs and wants, and "Earn It!" by Cinders McLeod that introduces the important lesson that money must be earned through hard work.
A strong proponent of the "Reading Makes Cents" program, PWCS was selected for the grant to support the program run by the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE), a nonprofit organization in collaboration with partner Virginia529, an independent state agency in Virginia. "Reading Makes Cents" expands students' financial literacy while cultivating reading skills. Each year, schools that participate in the program receive three free books on financial literacy. Librarians read these books throughout the school year and teachers may borrow the books to use with established school curriculum. Students in grades K-5 learn, understand, and apply these critical life skills and are encouraged to talk about money, making choices, saving and other basic financial concepts.
Latiesa Green, principal of Potomac View Elementary, shared how this grant impacts her students.
"I would like to thank the team from SWIFT for their generous donation of books for our students. Each year, we put a focus on literacy to ensure our students are growing as readers. The variety of stories will support that focus because the books are of high interest to our students, and the characters are diverse, which is representative of our student population. The books also support the Standards of Learning in different grade levels and will allow teachers to integrate across content areas."
SWIFT is a Belgian cooperative society providing services related to the execution of financial transactions and payments between banks worldwide. From their website, one of the goals of the company's corporate social responsibility committee is to make an investment in their local community. As such, "SWIFT selected VCEE as the recipient of their donation given the organization's track record of impactful education programs, such as 'Reading Makes Cents,' and close ties with Virginia's K-12 public schools," shared Schenell Agee, supervisor for library media programs and research for PWCS
VCEE is a nonprofit organization providing Virginia's K-12 teachers with professional development, lesson plans, and other resources to promote financial education. Virginia 529 is an organization that helps families save for post-secondary education or careers.
