The FirstRoot financial literacy curriculum empowers both teachers and students to learn core life skills in financial literacy, civics, design thinking and democracy. With our curriculum resources, teachers can bring Participatory Budgeting programs to their school.

Our financial literacy curriculum has been developed based on the Jump$tart National Standards for Financial Education and is available for anyone. So, join the FirstRoot community, download our app, create your account, and run Participatory Budgeting programs in your school with our education curriculum resources!

Questions or suggestions? Send an email to curriculum@firstroot.co

01. Discover

Discover phase in a PB Cycle is about making sure you’re prepared: you understand the theme, have established your budget, and understand who is involved. In the FirstRoot financial literacy curriculum, Discover phase is about making sure that your students are prepared for financial literacy.

• Talking about money
• Control personal information
• Banking Basics: Savings and Checking Accounts
• Keeping Financial Records

02. Dream

Dream phase in a PB Cycle is about dreaming big: creating ideas that align to the theme. In the FirstRoot financial literacy curriculum, Dream phase is about giving your students permission to explore their world and the options that make sense for them.

• Explore job and career options
• Develop a plan for spending and saving
• Be financially responsible

03. Design

Design phase in a PB Cycle is about making sure proposals are desirable, viable, feasible, and sustainable. In the FirstRoot financial literacy curriculum, Design phase is about helping your students develop the skills to realize their financial goals.

• Understand the total cost of items
• Use debit and credit cards
• Use insurance to protect assets
• Understand your paycheck
• Follow a budget

04. Ballot Creation

Ballot Creation in a PB Cycle is about selecting the best proposals. In the FirstRoot financial literacy curriculum, you can discuss the ballot creation process with students or just keep moving into the next lessons.

05. Decide

Decide phase in a PB cycle is where students get to make their choices. In the FirstRoot Financial Literacy curriculum, you can help prepare students for voting by helping them consider how they make decisions.

• Make financial decisions by considering alternatives and consequences

06. Do

Do phase in a PB cycle is where students can experience the impact of their choices. In the FirstRoot Financial Literacy curriculum, students use the Do phase to learn how to put their personal financial plans in action.

• Understand different types of loans
• Understand student loans and apply for them
• Understand different types of investments
• Compare investments
• Add investments to your financial plan

07. Additional Lessons

The duration of each phase of a PB cycle is unique: sometimes Ideation will be done in a few days, while other times Ideation will take a few weeks. To help educators manage

• Understand Tax Brackets
• Understand Liquidity