Teaching Personal Finance in Colorado

MoneyWi$er Financial Innovation Awards

The Colorado Office of the Attorney General and the Colorado Department of Education have partnered to designate funding to those who exemplify implementation of financial literacy education standards and statutes. The MoneyWi$er Financial Innovation Awards serve as a tool for districts, schools, educators and students to elevate the importance of learning money management and financial literacy skills. We encourage you to apply if your personal finance education experience has impacted your school and community in a positive way.

Students, teachers, schools and districts in Colorado are eligible to apply for MoneyWi$er scholarships and funding as listed below. All applications must be submitted via CDE Grant Platform or e-mailed to Wooten_a@cde.state.co.us no later than 11:59pm MST March, 15^th 2021. Applications will be scored by selection committee.

Student Scholarship $1,500– Students who have a passion for learning and teaching others about personal finance topics and have made a positive impact in their community or school by sharing personal finance education with others. Four students will be selected for the MoneyWi$er scholarship. (subject to taxes)
Educator Honoree $3,500 – Educators who prioritize personal finance education in their classroom and school, and demonstrate an exceptional impact on their community and school by teaching personal finance will be selected by scoring committee. Four Educators will be selected as honorees and receive $3,500. (subject to taxes) These funds can be used for training, conferences, higher education tuition/fees and/or classroom materials. Educators scoring in the highest category Financial Innovation Award certificate.
School Honoree $10,000 – Schools which have elevated personal finance education, exemplify best practices in personal finance education, and provide an innovate proposal of continuing to elevate personal finance education will be honored with a $10,000 award.
School District Honoree $15,000 – Applicant school district who prioritize personal finance education, exemplify best practices in personal finance education, and provide an innovate proposal of continuing to elevate personal finance education throughout their district will be honored with a $15,000 award.

Personal Financial Literacy Resources for the 2020-2021 School Year

Search by grade level for tools, standards-aligned lesson plans and digital programs to teach Personal Finance
Search for student & teacher scholarship and grant opportunities
Online personal financial literacy resources

Resource Bank

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Personal Financial Literacy Standards

The Colorado Academic Standards for K-12 Personal Financial Literacy (PFL) can be found in the Social Studies along with the Economics standards. Search for the Standards Online by grade level and content area.

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MoneyWi$er

The MoneyWi$er vision is for all Colorado youth to have opportunities to master personal financial literacy standards throughout their education and to make financially capable and informed decisions during their lifetime. Check out current MoneyWi$er programs below!

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Instructional Support

Instructional support is grounded in CDE's shared approach to Best, First Instruction as well as practices and strategies supported by professional organizations and scholars at the leading edge of Personal Financial Literacy education.

CDE's Best, First Instruction (coming soon)
Colorado Essential Skills
Does Financial Literacy Really Make a Difference
National Education Association resources for teaching Financial Literacy
Personal Finance effective practice guide for schools
Denver Public Library Investing and Personal Finance Programming

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Get Involved in Personal Finance Education

There are many opportunities to connect and grow as a professional educator with the larger personal finance education community, including mailing lists, professional organizations, and events.

Personal Finance Education Legislation

Though the state board strongly encourages local school district boards to require personal finance courses and curriculum throughout the state, only about 25% of districts include personal finance in their approved graduation requirements. For more information on how to ensure all Colorado students are prepared for adulthood by learning personal finance concepts and skills, or to receive Colorado Personal Finance education updates, contact Alyssa Wooten.

Colorado Legislation	Description
CRS 22-32-135 (2004)	“Strongly Encourages” local district school boards to adopt PFL as a part of district curriculum and graduation requirements
HB 08-1168 (2008)	Financial Literacy Standards established and then revised and implemented by fall 2020
SB 09-256 Section 17 (2009)	Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) required for all graduates. Personal Financial Literacy is a quality indicator within ICAP requirements
CRS 22-2-127 (2015)	Financial Literacy resource bank and technical assistance