NEFE will sponsor the first financial literacy strand at the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) Conference April 2-5 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Florida.
COABE is a network of nearly 15,000 educators, administrators, mentors and guides working to improve educational outcomes for underserved adults. Approximately 36 million working-age Americans have low literacy skills, and more than 60 million can’t perform simple math. COABE looks for innovative ways to support adult education — from basic reading and arithmetic, to adult high school equivalency programs, to English as a Second Language and workforce training.
Jeannette Schultz, manager of NEFE’s Financial Workshop Kits (FinancialWorkshopKits.org), has seen a growing interest in personal finance at the COABE Annual Conference since NEFE first co-presented a session in 2014 with the National College Transition Network (NCTN). Schultz presented two sessions in 2015, and four sessions in 2016.
The session turnout and exhibit hall traffic was so encouraging that COABE approached NEFE to be a strand partner, hosting nine sessions on financial capability topics at the 2017 conference. Session topics include:
- Making the Case for Financial Literacy in Adult Basic Education Programs;
- Helping Adults Find Money for College; and
- But Does it Work? Learn to Evaluate Your Financial Education Program.
“We are thrilled to provide a space at the COABE Conference for educators to explore how they can incorporate financial wellbeing into their work with adult learners,” Schultz says. “NEFE has many free, easily accessible resources to help learners of all ages, and — whether educators use our materials or not — we want to empower informed financial decision-making for all Americans.”