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SENCA SMART Program Receives Grant

By Matthew Leaf

09/18/2014

(KTNC)-- A SENCA program that aims to educate southeast Nebraska students about financial matters will get a boost thanks to a grant from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Foundation. The foundation gave $2,500, as an investment in the SENCA SMART program.

SENCA SMART - or Strategic Money and Resource Techniques - was developed in 2011 to meet one of the top challenges throughout the state regarding the perception of poverty, a lack of training and education. The program consists of three components: a Poverty Simulation, allowing participants to experience a month of poverty in 4 twelve minute weeks and find solutions to real life situations; Wells Fargo’s Hands on Banking, a 5 hour classroom curriculum meeting the Nebraska Standards of Education focusing on budgeting, saving, credit and the importance of education in attaining a living wage job; and the Federal Reserve Bank, educating students on banking and the role the Fed plays in our nation’s economy. SENCA trained Family Development Specialists work with participating schools to present the program.

Since the program’s implementation, it has expanded to five of the six counties served through SENCA outreach programs. During the 2013/2014 school year 481 students participated in SENCA SMART. Eighty-one percent of the 12th grade students completing the program increased their financial skills and knowledge by 29% from pre to post test scores and two-thirds of 8th grade students completing the program increased their financial skills and knowledge by 27% form pre to post test scores.

For more information on SENCA SMART please contact SENCA at 402-862-2411. Information about SENCA and all programs and services can also be found at www.senca.org and www.Facebook/Senca1.

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