🌟 Founded 2020 · San Francisco Bay Area

Flipping the script on how kids learn about money.

FL4KID$ was built by people who believe every child deserves to understand how the financial system works — and how to use it to build something meaningful.

“When kids learn to save, invest, and make confident money moves, they don’t just change their own lives — they uplift entire communities. We spark curiosity, inspire action, and ignite future entrepreneurs and givers — starting in the 4th grade.”

— Val Chapman, "The FINLITISTA"

Founder & CEO, Financial Literacy For Kid$ (FL4KID$)

Closing the Wealth Gap Starts in the Classroom.

Money skills change trajectories. Opportunity changes lives.

Founded in 2020, FL4KID$ gives students in grades 4–12 across Northern California the financial skills they need to navigate—and shape—their futures.

Students don’t just learn about money. They learn to use it. They save, invest, build businesses, make financial decisions, and develop the confidence to take control of their economic future.

And we go beyond the money. Through entrepreneurship, leadership, and community service, students learn that financial success isn’t just about what you accumulate—it’s about the opportunities you create for yourself, your family, and your community.

Because closing the wealth gap doesn’t start when students enter the workforce. It starts when they’re still in the classroom.

How We Do It

Six pillars that make FL4KID$ different

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Gamified Learning
Budgeting, investing, and credit smarts become addictive games and simulations.

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Real-World Practice
Students make financial decisions in safe, relatable scenarios mirroring real life.

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Culturally Relevant Curriculum
We center voices and stories that reflect our students’ realities.

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Community Service Integration
Wealth-building is connected to giving back.

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Right-On-Time Lessons
Financial skills delivered when they’re needed most.

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Motivation That Matters
Incentives, recognition, and celebration keep students fired up and building habits that last a lifetime.

Financial Literacy For Kid$

Inform. Inspire. Involve. Invest!™

In the News
San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required)
Financial literacy: Oakland elementary school
Bay Area newspaper of record coverage of the program at Franklin Elementary School in Oakland.
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CBS News Bay Area / KPIX 2025 — Icon Award
Retired stockbroker teaching Oakland students financial literacy
"They're getting a foundation, a foundation and exposure for finance," — Val Chapman
Val Chapman received the CBS News Bay Area Icon Award for opening doors of economic opportunity through Financial Literacy For Kid$.
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KRON4 February 2024
Financial literacy taught to kids at Oakland elementary school
"They're learning about investing and saving and budgeting and avoiding bad debt," — Val Chapman
Coverage of fourth and fifth graders at Franklin Elementary learning core money-management skills.
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The Oaklandside December 2024
California school districts will soon be required to teach financial literacy. Some Oakland schools already do.
Independent Bay Area education outlet profiling Franklin Elementary ahead of California's AB 2927 personal finance mandate, featuring Val Chapman congratulating students who placed first in the Stock Market Game.
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Great School Voices April 2024
The Oakland Ed Week in Review
"It's time for us to change those numbers." — Val Chapman
Oakland education newsletter spotlighting the Financial Literacy For Kid$ program and its focus on closing the racial wealth gap.
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Jump$tart Coalition February 2025
Teacher Spotlight: Yvonne Prospato, Franklin Elementary, California
National financial literacy coalition spotlighting Yvonne Prospato, Franklin Elementary, for her work bringing financial education into the classroom.
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Program Highlights
Oakland, CA 4th and 5th-Grade Students Earn Huge Returns in The Stock Market Game
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Amazing Oakland, CA 11-Year-Old Entrepreneur
Student success story from the Kidpreneur program.
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SIFMA Foundation Tribute Dinner — New York City
October 2024
Financial Literacy For Kid$ recognized at the SIFMA Foundation's annual tribute event.
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BANK ON Oakland, CA 2025 Crawl
Financial Literacy For Kid$ & Biz Kid$ Nation present a hands-on financial institution tour for Bay Area students.
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OUSD Spotlights Wall Street Wizards
Oakland Unified School District recognizes program participants during Financial Literacy Month.
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Ready to empower your students?

Now booking 10-week in-class sessions across California.

AB 2927 requires a personal finance course in all California high schools by 2027–28, with graduation requirements beginning with the Class of 2030–31.