SUMNER – Employees from the Northeast Bank branch in Buckfield, Trish Merrill and Sandy Harmon, were at the Hartford-Sumner Elementary School on April 26 helping first-graders learn their financial “ABCs” and become “smart savers.”

Gov. John Baldacci proclaimed April 26 as “Teach Children to Save Day” in Maine.

The proclamation recognizes the importance of improving financial literacy in Maine and the efforts of the members of the Maine Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association Education Foundation to educate youth on the basics of personal finance through assisting teachers and making personal presentations in schools across the state.

The statewide initiative is part of the National Teach Children to Save Day, a nationwide event to teach kids financial ABCs.

“Our employees were able to go out and work with over 500 students this year as part of the nationwide program that offers money-management life skills’ to youth in a fun and interactive way. The feedback from the teacher has been rewarding,” said Jim Delamater, president and CEO of Northeast Bank.

“While today’s kids are trained on computers and can use a CD-ROM to do their homework, many don’t know the basics of saving and money management,” he said.

The Teach Children to Save presentations will include discussions, games and hands-on activities covering such topics as how to budget, how to prioritize “wants” vs. “needs,” why it’s important to save for emergencies and how interest makes money grow. Students who become “smart savers” can become smart investors and money managers.

The event, sponsored by the ABA Education Foundation, focuses attention on the year-round need for financial education among students in grades kindergarten through 12.

Classroom materials that will are used on Teach Children to Save Day support curriculum standards established by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of English and the Family and Consumer Sciences.

Information regarding Northeast Bank can be found on its Web site at www.northeastbank.com or by contacting 1-800-284-5989.