Engaging Parents in Financial Education

For students who may still have close ties to their families, engaging parents in your financial education programming can be an effective way of motivating students to utilize resources and ask for help. Some parents may already attend a new student orientation or be involved in the financial aid process. The Ohio State University's National Student Financial Wellness Study found that students frequently cite their parents as a source of financial advice. If you have many traditional-aged students, we have provided some ideas for reaching out to parents.

Parent Newsletters. Regularly communicating with parents about resources and events available to them and their students can encourage families to have more conversations about money.
New Student Orientation or First-Year Programming. Some schools offer parents the option of being involved in new student programming, such as attending a special session during orientation. Use this time to promote services and resources that parents can then refer their children to.
Collaboration with High Schools. If many of your students matriculate directly from nearby high schools, working with these schools to reach students before they even step foot on campus is a great way to set students up for success and build the foundation of financial education.

CashCourse also offers a variety of resources that can be used when engaging parents in your financial education work.