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Summer jobs teach kids value of money

By Maxine Shapiro

Dallas, TX – It's never too early to teach our kids the value of money. And the best way to do that - put 'em to work. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays. The end of the school year is fast approaching, and - as elated as your kids are for summer to begin - your trepidation is slowing rising. What are they going to do for that almost eternity of time?

As written about in today's Dallas Morning News Kids' Finance column, our teens' financial literacy has gone from bad to worse. Though our schools will eventually be able to get help from the federal government under the "No Child Left Behind Act" (funding specifically for personal finance education), more needs to be done sooner. With a little bit of knowledge, when kids start earning their own money, they have a new respect for its value. Any age group can start working this summer.

This is just a sampling of a plethora of ideas you can find on the Internet or from the many great books teaching kids about money. Kids' businesses can range from crafts to animals. If your child loves pets, he or she can start a dog-walking service or a wash and brush business. They might need to read up on how to do these things, but it'll be fun and lucrative at the same time. Beading is a hot item now - just check out the mall. And for those computer-savvy kids (that's redundant), making greeting cards and selling them in bulk would be great. I'd buy either.

I love this one: if you're a stay at home mom, wouldn't it be wonderful to have just an hour or two to do errands without schlepping the kids? Any responsible child can do this, and it would be great networking for future babysitting jobs. And if anyone of my neighbors' kids knocked on my door and asked if they could wash the windows, I'd hire them in a second.

No doubt our kids can't all be like Martha Stewart, who, "?while still in grade school, ran a birthday party planning business." But they can do anything that is limited only by their and your imagination. So, as one of my very favorite quotes declares, "If you really want to teach your kids the value of money, borrow from them." For KERA Marketplace Middays, I'm Maxine Shapiro.

Marketplace Midday Reports air on KERA 90.1 Monday - Friday at 1:04 PM.