The Financial Capabilities Group of the Boston Fed's Regional & Community Outreach department is pleased to share Promoting Pathways to Financial Stability: A Resource Handbook on Building Financial Capabilities of Community College Students. This Handbook is designed for community college personnel, potential partners, and supporters with an interest in empowering students to better manage their financial lives. We see this work as critical to helping students navigate financial decisions they may face presently as well as those that could affect their prospects for future financial wellness.

Our hope is that you find this resource useful and that it informs strategy and actual efforts, which may lead to improvements in the overall financial stability of students. We invite you to comment on the Handbook and encourage you to provide input, ask questions, and share related experiences through our feedback form.

1. A Message from our Leadership & Executive Summary
2. Making the Case for Building the Financial Capabilities of Community College Students
3. Highlighting Eight Case Studies from U.S. Community Colleges (All Case Studies)
   • Foothill College, CA
     Technology Solution: Student Lingo
   • Valencia College, FL
     Peer-to-peer mentoring: Financial Learning Ambassadors Program
   • Wake Technical Community College, NC
     A Multi-Method Approach: SunTrust Foundation Center for Financial Education at Wake Tech
   • Mt. Hood Community College, OR
     Matched Savings: Matched College Savings Program
   • Mesa Community College, AZ
     Matched Savings: Fast Tracking the Dream
   • Central New Mexico Community College, NM
     Financial Stability Center: CNM Connect
   • Skyline College, CA
     Financial Stability Center: SparkPoint Center at Skyline College
   • The Community College of Baltimore County, MD
     Financial Coaching: CCBC Cares
4. Financial Past, Present, and Future of Community College Students Enrolled in a Personal Finance Course
5. A Snapshot of Financial Capability Efforts Among New England-based
   Community Colleges as of August/September 2013
6. Conclusion

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Community colleges offer affordable tuition and open admissions policies that enable many underserved populations to access opportunities for upward mobility and financial stability. Yet, these predominantly low- to moderate-income (LMI) students face an array of risk factors that jeopardize their educational outcomes – most prominently financial constraints, but also a tendency for uninformed financial decision-making.

A commitment on the part of community colleges to help their students manage their financial lives effectively is a strategy likely to benefit the institutions and the students they serve.

The Handbook explores these concepts and more, and is a key component of our Community College Initiative. We welcome the opportunity to discuss the contents of the Handbook and our community college efforts with you.