Youth Employment Resource Center
Money Smart and Youth Employment

Explore this site to learn about the FDIC’s resources that support financial education and access to safe, affordable insured accounts for youth participating in employment programs. In particular, FDIC’s Money Smart curricula can help meet the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA [doleta.gov]) financial literacy element.
The FDIC has extensive experience supporting financial education. In 2001, the FDIC released Money Smart for Adults. Today, curricula options are available for all ages, including Money Smart for Young People and Money Smart for Young Adults. In addition, the FDIC and its federal partners have other resources to support employment programs, including WIOA’s in-school and out-of-school programs.
Money Smart Crosswalks
These resources provide suggested Money Smart lessons, modules, or topics that support the WIOA financial literacy element and its implementing regulations. The handouts are a quick reference to applicable lessons, modules, and topics. The booklets provide lesson, module and topic names, and details.
- Crosswalk of Money Smart to the WIOA Implementing Regulations – Booklet – PDF (Vea esta página en español – PDF)
- Crosswalk of Money Smart to the WIOA Implementing Regulations – Handout – PDF (Vea esta página en español – PDF)
Money Smart Supplement for Instructors/Trainers
This supplement gives instructors/trainers additional information to help individuals use the Bank Checklist found in many of the Money Smart curricula to select safe, affordable accounts.
Incorporating Financial Capability into Youth Employment Programs
These resources, created by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC), provide financial institutions and workforce providers with guidance related to safe, affordable account access. Congress created FLEC in 2003 to improve financial capability and education in the United States.
- Resource Guide for Financial Institutions – PDF (Treasury.gov)
- Resource Guide for Youth Employment Programs – PDF (Treasury.gov)
Other
- Money Smart is a comprehensive financial education curriculum designed to help low- and moderate-income individuals outside the financial mainstream enhance their financial skills and create positive banking relationships.
- The Conference of State Bank Supervisors’ Statutory Requirements for Opening Bank Accounts for Minors by State (facts.csbs.org) map provides state-specific information regarding statutory requirements for the opening of bank accounts for minors.
- The Youth Banking Resource Center provides resources to encourage banks and schools to work together to improve the financial skills and experiences of youth.
- FDIC’s Model Safe Accounts Template – PDF reflects the guiding principles of transparent rates and fees that are reasonable and proportional to costs, access to banking services that feature FDIC insurance, and the protections afforded by applicable federal and state consumer protection laws, regulations, and guidelines.
- The Bureau of Financial Consumer Protection’s Developing the Financial Capability of America’s Young Workers report – PDF highlights key insights shared during the Youth Employment Success Roundtable in 2017.