About Us
The Connecticut Jump$tart Coalition is comprised of organizations, government agencies, financial institutions, and corporations. Working together we are able to join forces to improve the personal financial literacy of Connecticut’s youth.
Connecticut Jump$tart was the recipient of the 2016 State Coalition of the Year Award from the Jump$tart Coalition. This honor recognizes the sound structure and management of the state coalition; its effectiveness and innovation in reaching, supporting, and assisting teachers; its public awareness activities; its effectiveness in carrying out Jump$tart’s State Coalition Common Strategy; and the level of participation and collaboration within the coalition itself.
Officially incorporated in Connecticut in 2005 by Craig Newkirk, with funding support from Bank of America, the leadership was transferred to Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, with ongoing support from the Office of the State Treasurer, State Department of Banking, State Department of Education, Centers for Financial Education and Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.
For more information, contact: Faye Griffiths-Smith at (203) 407-3160.
What We Do
The Connecticut Jump$tart Coalition encourages the development and implementation of programs to educate young people about personal financial management and responsibility. This includes convening conferences for students and training sessions for teachers; supporting financial education programs in-school, after-school and in conjunction with community partners. The coalition also is working to:
- Build awareness of the need for financial education for young people
- Research barriers to financial preparedness, or capacity or independence
- Provide an inventory of financial education programs and curricula available in the state
- Ensure that financial literacy is an important part of discussions of public policy on both a state and local level.
Background
The Connecticut Jump$tart Coalition was founded in 2005 by Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, Office of the State Treasurer, State Department of Banking, State Department of Education, Bank of America, Centers for Financial Education and Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.
Connecticut Jump$tart is an independent affiliate of the national Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. The national Jump$tart Coalition is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1995, the coalition includes more than 100 national partners and a network of 51 state affiliates that share a commitment to #afinlitfuture and to working collaboratively toward common goals.