Community and Family Economics (CAFÉ)
Overview
Lesson Plans
Online Resources for Community and Family Economics
Community and Family Economics Books
Community and Family Economics (CAFÉ) Overview
Like all New Yorkers, adult learners deal with money issues every day. Although banks and other institutions have developed a variety of financial literacy programs, none of them are designed to meet the particular needs of literacy students. To fill this gap, the LAC decided to develop a program that could be used by adult literacy teachers, tutors, and volunteers to assist their students in developing the skills and knowledge they need to make informed decisions on a broad range of financial, consumer, and economic issues. To determine the most common needs in this area, the LAC surveyed learners and teachers. Based on their responses, we developed a framework that goes beyond “financial literacy.” We call it Community and Family Economics (CAFÉ). Our initial CAFÉ Institute for adult and family literacy practitioners provided an opportunity to test and refine our approach.
In the CAFÉ Institute, participants:
- Identified financial, consumer, and economic literacy skills their students wanted to develop
- Learned about a wide range of community resources and instructional materials that could be useful in their classroom
- Adapted or developed lesson plans in response to the needs of their students
CAFÉ assisted teachers in:
- Improving their understanding of the specific needs of students (culture, values, mindset, and language)
- Helping students increase their access to financial opportunities such as bank services, food stamps, employment, education, and training
- Teaching skills needed to deal with issues such as budgeting and consumer choices
Students taught by CAFÉ participants found it improved their:
- Capacity to navigate systems to achieve financial goals
- Self esteem and quality of life
- Access to knowledge that can result in greater income, assets, and support
- Ability to set financial goals, budget, and allocate resources for the long term as well as the short term
- Skills and knowledge applicable in many areas, including budgeting, banking, taxes, debit and credit, saving, money traps, time management, and consumer issues
- Understanding of economics and how they can assume greater control of their money
Lesson Plans
The following lesson plans were developed by teachers who participated in the initial CAFÉ Institute.
- What’s in Your Wallet? lesson plan and handout
- Preparation for Opening an Account
- Money Traps that Prevent You from Achieving Your Financial Goals
- Where Does the $ Go?
This project has been sponsored by the American Express Foundation and supported by the Altman Foundation.