Some experts recommend that students should begin learning financial literacy as early as second grade. In Texas, schools in Dallas are getting kids started learning money management skills as early as possible.

NPR took a look at Arapaho Classical Magnet and the 22 kindergartners there that are learning cents, salaries and budgeting.

"Saving money, especially for higher education, is the central message of this pilot program. It's called Dollars for College, and it kicked off last fall at two schools in Richardson, Texas,” said Courtney Collins from member station KERA.

Parents receive a free college savings account and the young students begin to understand the concept of saving.

"If they get money from their grandparents, they want to go and put it in the bank account for college. There's no other thought. They don't want to put it in a wallet. They don't want to go spend it. That's what it's for,” says parent Cabezuela Price about the program’s success.

Financial literacy, while decidedly important for America’s students to learn and understand, is not required in most states. For that reason, many schools throughout the country have no mandated financial literacy courses if they even offer such courses at all.

Perhaps a course like this for the country’s youngest learners is the way of the future.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

3/14/2016