Email:

contact@fl4kids.org

Mailing address

P. O. Box 436, San Francisco, CA 94104

🤝 Bay Area Mentor Program

Your expertise could
be a kid's turning point.

Finance professionals, entrepreneurs, bankers, and business leaders volunteer weekly to bring real-world experience into FL4KID$ classrooms. No teaching background required — just your story and an hour a week.

Why Mentors Matter

Kids can't aspire to what they've never seen up close

A guest speaker is a moment. A mentor is a model — proof that someone who looks like them, or started where they started, built a career in finance, business, or entrepreneurship.

Most students in our partner schools have never had a sustained relationship with a finance or business professional. Mentors change that — not through a single visit, but through consistent, weekly presence over a full 10-week program.

📉 Why This Is Urgent

80%+of Black & Latino students in Oakland are below grade level in ELA and Math (CAASPP 2022–23)
21%of U.S. 8th graders are proficient in financial literacy (NAEP 2020)
1 in 3students say they've never met a professional working in finance or business
How Mentoring Works

A simple commitment, a real impact

No curriculum design, no lesson planning — we handle the structure, you bring the story.

1

Apply

Tell us your background and the program you're drawn to. Takes 5 minutes.

2

Get Matched

We pair you with a classroom and program that fits your schedule and expertise.

3

Quick Orientation

A short briefing on the curriculum and classroom expectations — no teaching license needed.

4

Show Up Weekly

Join the classroom for about an hour a week across the 10-week program.

Where Mentors Plug In

Pick the program that fits your background

Every signature program benefits from a mentor's real-world perspective.

📈Stock Market Virtual Investing — finance & markets background
🫙The Startup Jar™ — entrepreneurs & founders
🦁Tiger Tank™ — investors, VCs, and pitch judges
🛍️Kidpreneur Fair™ — small business & retail owners
💼Classroom to the Boardroom™ — corporate & executive leaders
🏦BANK ON City Crawl™ — bankers & credit union staff
From a Mentor

"It's one hour a week. It matters more than that."

🤝 Mentor

"I work in finance downtown. Once a week I drive to Oakland and spend an hour with a classroom of 6th graders talking about stocks. Last month a kid told me he wants my job someday. I didn't know what to say. I just said, 'Then let's get started.'"

David K.
Portfolio Manager & FL4KID$ Mentor since 2023

One hour a week. A lifetime of impact.

No teaching experience needed — just your story and a willingness to show up.