The Associated Press has a story about financial literacy education programs for kids. You’ll find the story on page 1D of today’s print and e-editions of The Monroe Evening News; or if you are not a subscriber to my newspaper I also found the story at the Ventura County Star.

A snippet:

There are signs that the current generation of young people may have a better education. Although a personal finance class was a requirement for high school graduation in only seven states last year, according to the National Council of Economic Education, alternatives such as camps, interactive Web sites and investment programs targeting children are emerging to help fill the gaps.

Still, classes and other activities can only do so much. For good financial practices to really take hold, parents should lead by example and include their children in household money matters early on, according to those active in finance and financial education programs.

I did not take my daughter grocery shopping on a regular basis when she was young. It wasn’t worth the effort and arguments when I was on a very strict grocery budget as a single / divorced mom.

But over the years, she took in enough frugal shopping skills by example that there were times as a teen-ager when she and I tag-teamed at the grocery store to get the best possible savings.

We also set her up with a savings account in high school - she did the transactions herself, riding her bike to the credit union branch. And before she went to college, I took her to the bank to get her first checking account set up in her own name.

These days as a college student, she and I stay in close contact during the weeks that financial aid paperwork is going both to her e-mail and her home address. I tell her to double-check the math and make sure the payments are posted correctly.