Our Story
Kids With Cents was born from a simple, yet powerful moment at a neighborhood ice cream truck.
One summer day, our founder, Royce, walked up to an Ice cream truck with $10 in hand. She bought two ice creams, one for herself and one for a friend. When she returned, she was asked if she received her change. Her answer was no.
Together, we went through the math:
-
One ice cream was $2.00
-
The other was $3.00
-
That’s a total of $5.00
Since she handed the truck driver $10.00, she should have received $5.00 back.
In that moment, Royce realized she had been short-changed and more importantly, that she didn’t fully understand how to count her own money. Instead of frustration, she offered a solution:“I want to teach other kids how to count their money so this doesn’t happen to them.”
That sparked the vision for Kids With Cents, LLC, officially founded on December 5, 2023. What started as a single teachable moment has grown into a mission-driven program to give children the financial skills and confidence they need to protect themselves, make wise decisions, and build stronger futures.
Today, Kids With Cents continues to honor Royce’s insight by teaching kids the value of money, the power of saving, and the importance of financial awareness. From that one ice cream truck lesson, we’ve built an organization dedicated to equipping the next generation with the tools they need for lifelong financial empowerment.
Mission
Financial literacy is one of the most critical life skills a child can learn, yet many schools provide little or no dedicated financial education, especially for younger students. This leaves children unprepared to make informed decisions about saving, spending, and managing money. Kids With Cents was created to fill that gap.
Founded in 2023, Kids With Cents delivers engaging, age-appropriate financial education to children as young as seven, beginning with the basics of coins, bills, and smart money habits. By starting early, we help children build healthy financial foundations that last a lifetime.
Our Program is designed to make financial literacy fun, relatable, and practical.
-
We use play money kits to help students practice recognition, counting, and budgeting in a hands-on way.
-
Workbooks and story cards present real-life scenarios that connect money skills to everyday decision-making.
-
Through games, simulations, and role-plays—such as the KWC Ice Cream Truck and KWC Bank—students learn how money moves in real life.
-
To build confidence and leadership, we incorporate peer-to-peer teaching, where trained youth co-lead activities alongside adult educators.
By combining creativity, real-world relevance, and interactive play, our program ensures that financial literacy sticks for life. This unique model helps children see money management as a skill they can master, while also building leadership, decision-making, and confidence.
Vision
We believe early financial literacy does more than prepare children for the future, it strengthens entire communities. By teaching kids how to manage money wisely, we help break cycles of poverty and financial stress, creating resilience and stability.
With the support of our community, Kids With Cents is expanding into a virtual platform, making financial education accessible to more children, including rural students, after-school programs, and at-home learners. Every child deserves the chance to gain the money skills they need for a brighter tomorrow.
At Kids With Cents, we’re not just teaching dollars and cents, we’re building confidence, developing leaders, and shaping financially empowered futures.
