Governor Rendell Proclaims 'Financial Education Month' in April

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Noting that the
nationwide economic slowdown, the ongoing mortgage crisis and rising prices
for health care, food, and gasoline make the need for financial education
greater than ever, Governor Edward G. Rendell today declared April to be
"Financial Education Month" to encourage citizens to learn more about personal
money management.

"These are tough times for many families," Governor Rendell said. "Mortgage
payments are rising, health care costs are skyrocketing and everyone is paying
more for basic necessities like food and gas. These economic pressures
underscore the importance of knowing how to manage money wisely and make
informed financial decisions."

In 2004, Governor Rendell created the Office of Financial Education at the
Department of Banking to improve access to financial education in
Pennsylvania. The office works with other state agencies, schools, community
organizations and employers to provide financial education to citizens from
all walks of life.

"Financial education is very important," Governor Rendell said. "We are
working to ensure that our efforts are as efficient and coordinated as
possible to reach as many citizens as we can."

The Office of Financial Education offers Your Money's Best Friend, a
commercial-free Web site to help people learn more about financial issues and
find information and resources in their local communities. More than 175
community, government and other organizations have listed their financial
education programs in the site's ZIP-searchable directory.

Through the Governor's Institute for Personal Finance Education and assorted
in-service training, the Office of Financial Education worked with more than
600 teachers last year to show them how to incorporate age-appropriate
financial concepts in the reading, writing, mathematics, consumer sciences and
other subjects they're already teaching in Pennsylvania's K - 12 classrooms.
Last fall, it partnered with Visa and the National Football League to provide
free copies of Financial Football, a money management video game, to every
high school in Pennsylvania.

The Office of Financial Education recently completed a survey of 7,000
business leaders and human resource managers to assess the state of workplace
financial education in Pennsylvania and develop resources to help more
businesses establish programs of their own. Research suggests that such
programs can achieve higher productivity, lower health care costs and reduce
absenteeism among workers.

This spring, the Office of Financial Education will launch a new curriculum to
be used in libraries and other community settings to teach personal financial
management to families with children. Right on the Money uses fun,
age-appropriate books to introduce key financial concepts to children ages
5-7. Parents begin each session with their children during a family time and
then hone their own financial knowledge while learning how to help them build
sound money management skills. The program was developed in partnership with
the Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Heinz Endowments.

"Financial education is a lifelong process, whether you're a parent opening a
child's first savings account or a senior citizen looking forward to
retirement, you never stop learning," Governor Rendell said.

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public
education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing
economic investment to support our communities and businesses.To find out more
about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter,
visit: www.governor.state.pa.us.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Text of Governor Rendell's proclamation follows.

FINANCIAL EDUCATION MONTH
April 2008

WHEREAS, financial education is critical to all Pennsylvanians in achieving
personal security and avoiding dangerous financial pitfalls; and

WHEREAS, there is a mortgage crisis in America and in Pennsylvania in part
because financial education did not keep up with the rapidly evolving
practices of the financial marketplace; and

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania Office of Financial Education works with schools,
communities, employers and other state agencies to improve the quality and
availability of financial education to all of the Commonwealth's good
citizens; and

WHEREAS, while currently fewer than four percent of Pennsylvania's schools
require a personal finance course to graduate, 20 percent of schools report
renewed efforts to increase the extent to which personal finance is taught at
the high school level; and

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania Office of Financial Education will offer programs
again this year to train teachers and community-based professionals to provide
high-quality, age-appropriate financial education and a large number of those
previously trained report that they are, in fact, increasing the financial
content of their lesson plans; and

WHEREAS, a partnership with the Pennsylvania State University Cooperative
Extension and the Pennsylvania Office of Financial Education has resulted in
an innovative new curriculum for parents and children together that will be
made available for free to libraries statewide; and

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania Departments of Aging, Banking, Education, Insurance,
Securities, Treasury and others are collaborating to make the best use of
their respective expertise to reach out and help Pennsylvania's good citizens
navigate through money management issues; and

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's financial institutions will sponsor "Teach Children to
Save Day" on April 29 and "National Credit Union Youth Week" from April 20 -
26, during which financial professionals will visit schools and teach young
people basic fundamental principles; and

WHEREAS, these endeavors are worthy of support and cooperation for the benefit
of the citizens of the commonwealth to protect their financial futures.

THEREFORE, in special recognition of the importance of expanding quality
financial education for Pennsylvanian's citizens, I, Edward G. Rendell,
Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, do hereby proclaim April 2008
FINANCIAL EDUCATION MONTH in Pennsylvania and encourage all Pennsylvania
citizens, parents, teachers, community leaders, and others to seek out ways to
improve their own personal finance habits.

GIVEN under my hand and the Seal of the Governor, at the City of Harrisburg,
this fifth day of March in the year of our Lord two thousand and eight, and
the Commonwealth the two hundred and thirty second.

EDWARD G. RENDELL
Governor

CONTACT: Heather Tyler (Banking)
717-214-6036
Barry Ciccocioppo
717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

Heather Tyler of the Department of Banking, +1-717-214-6036, or Barry
Ciccocioppo of the Pennsylvania Office of the Governor, +1-717-783-1116