I work for the Federal Trade Commission, where we've created some free resources to help low-level readers learn about financial literacy and consumer protection. At COABE, we heard that the materials would be helpful for teachers of financial literacy and life skills, so I wanted to reach out to this group. Our materials are both online (at www.consumer.gov or www.consumidor.gov) and in print. All of them are free. There's info on everything from making a budget and getting a bank account, to your credit history and managing debt, to avoiding scams and identity theft. There's an online budget worksheet (or you can print it off and students can write on it) and other materials for teachers in the "Help for You" section. And for every topic, there's a one-page printed sheet that says what to do about the topic. You can order those for free and have as many as you want shipped to you. (Find out how at the Help for You section of www.consumer.gov.)
I'd love to hear feedback or other ideas on the materials, and also on how to better reach out to programs like the ones you all are involved in.
Thanks,
Jennifer Leach