NASHUA – It may seem strange to talk to an 8-year-old about budgeting, and stranger still to teach a 10-year-old how to balance a checkbook, but according to 21st Century Program Director Gail Casey, it is never to early to talk to kids about money.

This is why 21st Century and the United Way of Greater Nashua have teamed up with local financial institutions to offer financial literacy courses at six elementary schools.

“Money is handled in front of children every day,” Casey said, adding that even giving them lunch money is a transaction they experience. “To wait until they can earn their own money (to teach them) is a mistake,” she said, “we should be doing it now.”

The “21st Century/United Way Money Sense” classes will run in two sections: 101 and 201.

The 101 course will be offered to third-grade and fourth-grade students. It will teach basic financial terminology and concepts, budgeting basics and needs versus wants. The 201 course will explore the basics of banking, the financial system and credit, interest and lending, as well as the basics of credit cards and managing a checkbook.

The classes are expected to run three times per year for eight-week sessions and will have 10 to 12 students per class at each school.

Dr. Crisp Elementary School will partner with Merrimack County Savings Bank; Ledge Street Elementary with Enterprise Bank; Amherst Street Elementary with Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union; Mount Pleasant Elementary with Triangle Credit Union and Fairgrounds Elementary School with People’s United Bank. Each of the banks or credit unions will have a set curriculum to teach students about the importance of smart money management.

The students will set up savings accounts and the savings will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the hosting financial institution, up to $50. However, Casey said some of the institutions may give students ways to save “pretend” money and then reimburse them with a gift card or something similar, so as not to impose any burdens or cross and boundaries with parents.

“Money is very personal,” she said. “It’s not a question of how do we teach the curriculum, but how do we be sensitive of a family’s values and be mindful of what they may or may not have.”

In 21st Century, Casey said, they try to identify what adults would have benefited from learning when they were children that might have affected the choices they made in their lives. Money is one of those key elements, especially when she hears young adults often talking about their fear and apprehension about banking.

“It’s important to be having these conversations early to make them more comfortable” when dealing with money, she said.

The classes are expected to start soon, but the date depends on the school site. For more information, visit www.nashua.edu/for-parents/21c-extended-day-program.

Hannah LaClaire can be reached at 594-1243 or hlaclaire@nashuatelegraph.com.