Students taught about money and financial matters are more likely to save, more likely to pay off credit card debt and are also likely to think about their purchases. Yet, according to a  survey by the Jump$tart Coalition, one in six students in the United States failed to reach the baseline level of proficiency in financial literacy.  The survey also showed that nearly 72 percent of parents showed reluctance in talking with their children about money and that 3 out of 10 parents actually talk with their children about money.
With this in mind, the Knox County 4H Council & Knox County FRYSC wanted to address the issue of money and budgeting at an early age by offering the program Dollars & Sense,a financial literacy program, to 5th graders at local schools.  
142 students participated in the program. 30 adult/student volunteers led the 4-H’ers through the program, where they received a monthly allowance based on their grades, behavior and attendance. They were to budget their allowance so that they could make purchases at each of the 14 different booths.  When the program began, a survey of the participants revealed that 40 percent of youths knew what a budget was, while 60 percent understood the differences between needs and wants. At the end of the program 100% of youths could describe the difference between a need & want and also understood the importance of a budget. 94% of students were able to identify the link between this activity and terms, such as opportunity cost, learned in class. 95% of students stayed within their allotted budget with savings remaining.