Narrator: It’s never too early to teach your kids about proper money management, and that’s the inspiration behind the ‘Make It Count’ program, a mentoring and informational resource developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators. Ainsely Cunningham, CSA’s Manager of Education and Communications, talks about the program.

Ainsely Cunningham: The Make it Count program is a program that’s been designed specifically for parents and children. It’s a program that allows parents to interact on a day-to-day basis with their kids when it comes to money management. The program is designed so that parents can engage their children using everyday situations—errands, going to the bank, grocery stores—to teach their kids about money and finance. The Canadian Security Administrators believes that it’s very important to start teaching kids at such a young simply because when you look at any other habit, whether it’s manners, whether it’s teaching kids certain life skills, that we don’t start when they’re sixteen. We want to start when they’re much younger; and it allows them to nurture those skills and develop those skills, so by the time they are sixteen and in a position, or seventeen and in a position where they are earning money, they know exactly what to do with the money.

Narrator: Getty Stewart, a mother of two, feels the common sense money matters in the program will give her kids a real advantage.

Getty Stewart: It’s tough to manage your money no matter how old you are, and if you can get an early start on that, I think that’s a real advantage. And this program allows us to do that. It gives us the ideas that we need to start talking about with our kids and gives them really great suggestions for when we are at the store, some ideas and ways we can make it concrete for them. So having them find the best deal, or talking about comparison shopping, and talking about saving money for the big purchase. So if we can get that ingrained early I think that’s fabulous and it’s a great way to really bring home one of the most important skills that all of us need.

Narrator: Don Murray is the Vice Chair of the CSA, he explains the genesis of the Make it Count Program and its growing popularity.

Don Murray: We rolled out the Make It Count program here in Manitoba just at the beginning of the year and there was a great response to it. As a matter of fact we even had some play on the national news. We’ve had a lot of requests for it. We’ve had a lot of organizations wanting to get involved with it. And so Ainsley, our Education Co-ordinator, took it to her committee of the CSA and they discussed actually rolling this out on a national basis. And that’s what’s going to be happening. Other jurisdictions are going to be taking the Make It Count program, and we are all going to re-introduce it on a national basis this month.

Getty Stewart: You know, I thought we were pretty good at already having discussions with the kids about money management, but what the guide did for me was just raise other areas as where, "Hey! I never thought about having discussions with my kid about that particular topic." So it raised all kinds of different areas and it gave me ideas for how else can I talk to my kids about money management. So I really appreciated getting those ideas and thoughts and other examples.

Narrator: For more information on the Make it Count program or to get a free copy, parents can contact their securities regulator in their home province or visit www.makeitcountonline.ca