Operation HOPE Bank Day at Beecher Hills Elementary School

Beecher Hills Elementary School gave its first, second, and third-grade students an opportunity to invest in their future on Bank Day with Operation HOPE.

Students had the opportunity to make their first deposit into the Operation HOPE Child Savings Account and walk through a real banking experience.

“They are super excited,” Beecher Hill Elementary School Principal Dr. Tiffany Franklin said. “A dollar may not seem like a lot to you, but to the child, a dollar is like $1,000 in our world. This is so important because it puts finances at the forefront of their mind.”

Operation HOPE set up multiple stations for the students to simulate different aspects of the banking experience. Students visited the HOPE store, where they learned about entrepreneurship by buying and selling goods from their peers. Then, each student received a dollar and a piggy bank and filled out their deposit slips to take to the bankers at the next station. At the final station, they made their first deposits.

“Today, we gave kids an opportunity to plant a seed in their future,” Operation HOPE Director of Youth and Program Administration Ruth Wilcox said. “The students went through the process of a real banking experience. They were able to fill out their account information, deposit tickets, and understand the process of banking.”

This was Operation HOPE’s second annual Bank Day with Atlanta Public Schools. Last school year, they visited Parkside Elementary School.

“Operation HOPE is a great partner to have in your school because it’s opening up some doors for students that they might not have had access to,” Dr. Franklin said. “Not only are they doing Bank Day, but they are going to have conversations with children about finances. There’s going to be a whole curriculum around this, and we’re going to take this a step further.”