How the Program Works

Extension Educator planning meeting
A one-day workshop is provided for Extension Educators to prepare them for their roles as co-teachers and mentors. EE's will increase their understanding of the economics of personal finance; review best practice teaching and assessment methods; discuss financial institutional issues facing immigrant populations; explore financial issues from a cultural perspective; review best practice mentoring skills; develop the agenda for the professional development workshops for staff members of the selected community agencies; and prepare an implementation plan for working with the community agencies.

Professional development for community educators
Selected educators from community organizations participate with their identified Extension Educators in a three-day workshop. Training is provided in economics-based personal finance curriculum, workshop planning and evaluation, special issues in teaching adult learners, and cultural considerations in working with ethnic and immigrant populations. Trainers include faculty from the Minnesota Council and University of Minnesota Extension Service.

Co-teaching and mentoring for community educators with mini-grant support
The community educators collaborate with their designated Extension Educators to offer financial education workshops for their clients. The community educator and the EE work together to identify curriculum most appropriate for the agency's clientele and make adaptations, if necessary. Workshop goals and evaluation measurements are determined. The EE co-teaches the workshops led by the community educator, as appropriate, and provides feedback to the educator.

Mini-grants are made available to community organizations to offer the personal finance workshops. To receive a mini-grant, the agency develops a proposal to offer at least six hours of educational programming in personal finance for a group of at least 15 participants in their target audience. The agency receives the first $1,000 of the grant when the proposal is approved and the remaining $500 when the final report is submitted. Once an agency successfully completes the first program it is eligible to apply for a second mini-grant following the same procedures.

Mid-project meeting and training for community educators and Extension Educators
Community educators and EE's reconvene at the University of Minnesota approximately six months after their first meeting. It is expected that the educator teams will have delivered the first community workshop by that time. Participants discuss their workshops, share lessons learned and best practices, receive additional resources and instruction as requested, and present plans for the second round of workshops.

End of project wrap-up meeting for community educators and EEs
Selected community educators and EE's reconvene at the University of Minnesota at the conclusion of the year's program. Participants discuss the impact of their workshops and learnings on their agencies and clientele. Ideas for future program participation are discussed.