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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Many high schools have a financial literacy math course.  [/quote]

Those classes aren't useful, statistically speaking.

Unfortunately, the traditional Home Ec classes have been eliminated, for a variety of specious reasons. There are a few that incidentally teach some skills (Shop class may have a strange pseudo-existence under various Engineering monikers), but otherwise there are a couple of specialized courses in places like FCPS's Academy.

Most of the big youth programs are on their way down, skill-wise (FFA, 4H, Girl Scouts, the Institution Formerly Known as Boy Scouts), but nevertheless are substantially better than nothing. Some of the small, usually very religious groups that are springing up in the wake of the decline are actually pretty good, but most people on this board react to them as a vampire does a cross.

If you are in Prince William County, there are volunteer fire stations that still have youth programs, and these are pretty stellar, as far as life skills go. Not just the intentional: turn up on time, be well turned out, interact with people senior to you in a hierarchy, basic first aid, knot tying... but also the incidental: help prepare a meal for the crew, learn the difference between diesel and gasoline.

There are a variety of after-school classes -- e.g. through Fairfax County's ACE or Parktakes -- that can help provide some structure, but TBH a lot of what you want is going to be on you working through minor repair jobs, cooking, paying taxes, etc.

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We're in RVA but a few divisions still have "Home Ec" and "Shop" but they're a shell of what the parents' generations remember.

Our DCs actually found their JROTC class covered much of this ground including proper salutations (on-the-phone, in-person, and in writing), personal hygiene, gear-of-all-kinds maintenance, physical and fiscal fitness, public service and speaking, and tons of personal accountability with grades, assignments, platoon/unit commitments, and "future" career planning, be it further education, employment, or enlistment. It's a shame the program sometimes gets a bad rep (in other places....ours is highly regarded). If much of that sounds like common sense or a parent's job -- the fact is, there are plenty of kids who still need that.

That said, DC1 and friends, as HS seniors, also had several self-started conversations that they got their various parents involved with and included stuff like how to file a tax return, review and sign a contract, buy and insure a vehicle, and writing a will, what/when to have a Power-of-Attorney, what a DNR is, and what end-of-life care might look like. Many of them see/saw their parents struggle (mostly to deal with their own parents) and it was nice to get some things out in the open. That's when we really realized our "kids" weren't really "kids" anymore.

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