A guide for parents
Money skills,
from their own game
Kids already keep score. The same numbers can teach a budget, a first paycheck and how credit works. Here's what our sessions will cover, and a few ideas to try at home.
In our sessions
Run the numbers
As we put it to players: “Build a budget from your season's numbers, plan a first paycheck and learn how credit works. Practice reading a deal, and saying no when people ask you for money.”
Ages 10–12
Start your own stat tracker and plan a game day on a budget.
Ages 13–17
Watch AI summarize a phone plan, then check every line yourself, and learn how credit works.
Ages 14–17, with a parent (later)
A session on NIL (name, image and likeness) basics: how a contract works, what to ask, red flags, who signs, and how to say no when people start asking you for money. Then life after sports, from a first job and a first paycheck to a plan B. No company will be promoted.
At home
Five ideas to try at home
Budget a game day
Give your child a set amount for a game day: food, a ride, a drink after. Let them make the plan, then look together at how it went.
Use their stats
Making 6 of 10 shots is 60%. Spending $6 of $10 is 60% too. Percentages from their own game make budget math feel familiar.
Read a pay stub together
When your teen gets a first job, look at the pay stub together. Taxes and other deductions usually come out first, so the deposit is often less than the hours times the hourly pay.
Practice saying no
Role-play it: a friend asks to borrow money, or someone online offers a deal that sounds too good. Practice a short, polite no, or “Let me ask my parents first.”
Explain credit simply
A credit card is a loan. Paying the full balance on time each month usually means no interest. Carrying a balance costs extra.
Why now
A head start on a class California will require
California now requires a semester of personal finance to graduate from high school, starting with students who graduate in 2030–31 (AB 2927, a 2024 law). Our sessions will give younger players a hands-on head start, through the sport they already play.
No cost to families
Hear about the pilot first
Kids will take part through a program they already attend, so FSL can't sign a child up directly. Join the family list and we'll let you know when a pilot site is confirmed.