Albany, New York – Today, Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-South Queens), introduced a bill that would require school districts to provide curriculum for grades 4^th through 8^th in financial management. The bill would include, but would not be limited to, basic financial literacy, budgeting, savings, credit, debt, insurance, investment, and other issues associated with personal financial responsibility. The bill was submitted in the NYS Assembly by Pheffer Amato and has yet to be assigned to a committee.

“Financial literacy is an extremely beneficial tool in improving financial capability for young people. Many students are unprepared and uninformed regarding financial choices as they transition into adulthood,” said Pheffer Amato. “By incorporating lessons about financial responsibility, students can learn different aspects of finance management and feel empowered about their own financial futures.”

"To disrupt educational inequity, we must construct systems that build our communities from the bottom up... As students are taught basic skills to grow their proficiency in Reading, Writing and Math, they must also be taught foundational skills to enhance their competency in Financial Literacy,” Phoebe Grant- Robinson, Principal of P.S. 253Q & Found of Rockaway Leaders Alliance (RLA), said. “Initiating this work in the upper elementary school is an explicit recognition that all students regardless of access must gain exposure to Financial Literacy education."

“Students in grades fourth through eight are in need of a full and well-rounded education, including this instruction in financial management. This law will provide the necessary funds to mandate all schools provide their students with a strong background in financial literacy and responsibility,” concluded Pheffer Amato.

If the bill is passed into law, it would take effect the first of July following the passage.