MANSFIELD – Five years ago Directions Credit Union, which has several Richland and Ashland County branches, realized the value of FoolProof — but only recently has the interactive financial literacy program gained national attention.
Earlier this year, FoolProof was endorsed by 34 consumer leaders at the Newseum in Washington D.C., where the program was called a “benchmark” for other financial literacy education programs.
Among FoolProof’s endorsers were noteworthy organizations and individuals like The National Association for Consumer Advocates, Public Citizen and author of “The Financial Literacy Education Fallacy” Dr. Lauren Willis, but Directions Credit Union recognized the potential long before.
“The value to teaching kids about finances while they’re in school, before they go to college is all about teaching them how not to get trapped in debt, to do their research and to become a critical thinker. That to me is what FoolProof does,” said Jenni Paramore, Community Outreach Education Manager for Directions Credit Union.
Through a series of modules, the program teaches “healthy skepticism” by encouraging students to “use caution, question sellers and do their research” before buying. Some lessons explain by defining the difference between a debit and credit card and others show money-saving strategies like buying a refillable water bottle rather than repeatedly buying bottled water.
According to Paramore, more than 400 schools are already using the program across the state. She was unsure how many are in Richland and Ashland County, but knows that number includes Ashland County-West Homes Career Center.
The program meets Ohio-standards for financial literacy requirements and is ready-to-use and self-grading but can be modified, if needed.
“The teacher can go in and change the test for students to fit their needs, but no one but the teacher knows that test is any different, so they are participating in a normal way, which I think is a very cool thing,” Paramore said.
FoolProof modules and videos can also be assigned as homework, allowing the teacher to see if assignments are completed on time.
FoolProof programs are designed for high school students, middle school students, young adults and for parents to use with their children.
Teachers can learn more or request access to FoolProof by visiting foolproof.directionscu.org.
