Students at Springdale Elementary School chose to donate their earnings to the Ronald McDonald House during the school's latest StEP Store event.
The store is part of the Susan Sargen Student Enterprise Program (StEP), a financial literacy initiative run through the Alpaugh Family Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati. Students who decided to donate received a discount on their StEP Store purchase and a sticker to wear for the rest of the day, according to the school's website.
The program, now in its 30th year, teaches elementary students real-world money decisions. Students earn StEP bucks for good attendance, good behavior and strong classroom performance. At quarterly school stores, they face a choice: spend on school supplies or toys, save and earn interest, or donate to a cause their school has selected, according to the Alpaugh Family Economics Center.
Springdale Elementary, part of Princeton City Schools, picked the Ronald McDonald House as its donation recipient. The nonprofit provides housing and support for families with children who are ill or injured. Ronald McDonald House of Cincinnati and Ronald McDonald House of Dayton merged in January to form Ronald McDonald House Southwest Ohio, which Movers & Makers reported is the largest chapter in the country. The organization supports a 177-bedroom house in Cincinnati and a 42-bedroom house in Dayton.
Susan Heilmayer, co-executive director of the Alpaugh Family Economics Center along with Brad Evans, has described the program as one that lets thousands of elementary students across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky "practice real-world financial decision-making by choosing to spend, save (with interest!), or donate their earnings at quarterly school stores," according to Indian Hill Living.
The StEP model operates in schools across the region. At a late October store at Glendale Elementary, about 225 students participated. School supplies were the top pick, LED lights the favorite splurge, and nearly 10 percent saved every dollar, according to the Alpaugh Family Economics Center on X.
Springdale Elementary's next quarterly StEP Store has not been announced.
