Ayo's Money Jar Book Helps Parents Start A “Household Conversation About Money”

Today, Charlene Hill Fadirepo, Founder and CEO of SmartChoiceNation (SCN), has confirmed that her brand new children's book on money management "Ayo's Money Jar" is available now in paperback via Amazon.com. The book follows its main character, Ayo, a smart, curious little boy, growing up in a multicultural family. In the story, Ayo helps his parents around the house and learns a lasting lesson about money management.

Ayo's Money Jar is the first book in a series for children ages 2-6 called SmartChoiceNation (SCN) Kids. This edition of the book features beautiful original artwork from Nigerian visual artist and painter, Aniekan Udofia. Each SCN book teaches a specific financial education concept. In addition to the story, the book includes a conversation guide section with suggested family activities and a glossary of terms to reinforce the learning process. Ayo's Money Jar focuses on money management, and explores the Give, Grow, Go (3Gs) concept, a SCN money management rule of thumb for children.

According to a 2015 7th Annual Parents, Kids, & Money Survey by T. Rowe Price, 91% of the parents surveyed thought it was appropriate for kids to learn about financial matters at school. However, financial education instruction in K-12 schools is inconsistent at best. According to the Council for Economic Education's 2016 report, more states are implementing standards in personal finance, but the number of states that require high school students to take a course in personal finance remains unchanged since 2014 - only 17 states . Since 2014, two additional states include personal finance in their K-12 standards and require those standards to be taught. Only 20 states require high school students to take a course in economics - that's less than half the country and two fewer states than in 2014. The study goes on to note that state requirements often set the tone for districts, "some states offer little guidance to school districts related to what personal finance content to offer in schools at each grade level; others have pushed ahead, requiring courses from elementary to high school-aged students, supporting and training teachers, and in some cases even testing students on learning outcomes. "

"I believe parents need to be proactive about teaching these concepts to their children, especially since financial education instruction in schools is still a work in progress. My overall goal is to inspire every American parent to start a household conversation about money. Hopefully the story, definitions and family activities in the back of the book will help to make that conversation much easier," said Charlene.

A bank regulation executive by profession with a Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Charlene has spent the past 10 years teaching financial education programs through a number of organizations including Citibank and PwC. Charlene also serves as the President of Greater Washington JumpStart Coalition, a DC based youth focused financial literacy non-profit organization. Thru her work with Greater Washington JumpStart Coalition, Charlene was able to support financial education workshops for nearly 800 local students during a 2 year period.

"It is never to early too begin talking to your children about money. Children learn most of their money habits from their parents, so parents are in the unique position of being a child's first teacher.", says Charlene. "My book is aimed at parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and caregivers who want to start teaching their children the basic foundations of financial decision making."

About Charlene Fadirepo:
Charlene Fadirepo is a former banker, management consultant and the author of Ayo's Money Jar, a children's book on money management. She is also the founder of SmartChoiceNation, a financial education social enterprise firm and she runs a blog for financially empowered parents, called SmartChoiceMoms.com. Charlene is the President of Greater Washington JumpStart Coalition, a youth focused financial education youth non-profit organization in the DC metro area. She lives in Washington, DC with her son, Ayo, and her husband Rinde.

• Learn more about the book at the official website: http://www.ayomoneyjarbook.com
• The book is available exclusively on Amazon: Ayo's Money Jar: http://a.co/ga9IgTf
• Learn about resources to teach your kids about money via Charlene's blog: http://www.smartchoicemoms.com

Social Links:
-https://www.facebook.com/SmartChoiceNation/
-https://twitter.com/@SmartCNation
-https://www.instagram.com/smartchoicenation/
Media contact information:
Charlene Fadirepo
Email: information(at)smartchoicenation(dot)com
Tel: 240-401-4640

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