Adair County has identified career awareness and financial management as a major area of focus.  To better prepare youth for college and career awareness, the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service sponsored a Reality Check program for all the 1878 eight graders in the county. 

Youth participated in the program by selecting a career and family option along with a starting salary.  This was an introductory program that used paper materials only.  Youth had to make expense selection based on the need, family situation, and what they wanted.  The goal was to be able to pay their monthly bills without going in the red.  This program is being used to better prepare them for the Reality Store program in the spring.

A evaluation following the program showed that 91 percent said they learned about the need for budgeting money.  96 percent said they learned about how much money they would need to live the lifestyle they would like to have. One participant stated that they were surprised by how fast all the bill could add up.