April 25, 2017

The Early Learning Initiative was awarded funding from Ulster Bank’s Skills and Opportunities Fund to develop a numeracy programme for children aged 4-12 years old, attending afterschool programmes in the Dublin Docklands.

The programme worked with 90 children from four after schools in the Dublin Docklands, to improve the numeracy skills required for everyday tasks like budgeting and saving.

As part of its support, a number of Ulster Bank, employees volunteered by delivering lessons to the children on a variety of money topics, resulting in the creation of a short story book, The Smart Money Stories.

The book, launched today by Mr Eoghan Murphy T.D, Minister of State for Financial Services, eGovernment and Public Procurement, is made up of 16 short stories penned by children between the ages of 4 and 12 years old.

Speaking at the launch event, Mr Eoghan Murphy T.D, Minister of State for Financial Services, eGovernment and Public Procurement said; “low levels of numeracy in Ireland is an issue that needs to be tackled from a young age. This book, which I am pleased to launch today, is part of a fresh approach to educating young people about money-management. The stories written by these young people capture the imagination of the reader and show that tackling numeracy in a creative way has a real benefit for young students and I commend ELI and Ulster Bank for their work in this area.”