CPAs from Cleveland accounting and consulting firm Howard, Wershbale & Co. will play FETCH! with fifth and sixth grade students at local Kenston Intermediate School Nov. 9.
FETCH!, which stands for Financial Education Teaches Children Healthy Habits, is sponsored by the Ohio Society of CPAs and the Ohio CPA foundation and is being executed by CPAS and volunteers across Ohio in more than 300 classrooms.
The game uses a dog park setting and a fictional pet for each team of students to teach them basic money management skills. The students are responsible for the pet’s care, feeding and financial responsibility and are at the mercy of rolls of the dice to determine the amount of money they earn and the dog’s behavior and health.
The team that ends the game with the most money in the bank and the most items for their dog wins.
“FETCH! is a fun way to teach children the relationship between smart spending and saving for their future goals,” said HW&Co.’s Linda Zevnik in a statement. “It’s built on a simple concept, yet requires students to make decisions that have consequences they can understand, just like in real life.”
FETCH! was created in 2010 by the Ohio Society of CPAs and its charitable arm, the Ohio CPA Foundation, with help from elementary teachers and a curriculum developer. It also includes testing to gauge the financial understanding of participants.
Video of the program in action is available
