BUFFALO, N.Y., BALTIMORE and HARRISBURG, Pa., April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- What do a piggy bank, car insurance, and a hammer have in common? They're all practical tools for teaching children about the value of money in our daily lives, and just a few of the examples used by M&T Bank employees volunteering their time at schools teaching children the importance of saving during National Financial Literacy Month.

From kindergarten to high school, students are learning valuable life lessons about money from M&T Bank employees, who are presenting financial literacy lessons to nearly 2,500 students in almost 100 classrooms across three states. The lessons include games and activities to make the presentations both fun and educational. The lesson plans are tailored to the various grade levels, so materials and concepts are understandable for each age group.

Children often know more about spending money than why it is important to save it. Money management is a vital skill each person should learn, and the earlier children learn the basic concepts of why and how to save money, the better their financial skills are later in life.

"Financial literacy is not an optional skill," said M&T Bank President Mark Czarnecki. "Solid financial skills are essential along all the milestones in life, from college to career, and marriage to retirement. Teaching the importance of saving at a young age is an investment that lasts generations."

M&T Bank offers the following tips to help parents and teachers promote good saving habits to children:

• Make saving observable (e.g. putting change in a jar helps establish the concept of saving)
• Teach children the difference between "needs" and "wants"
• Explain the importance of saving on energy by turning off lights and electronics
• Help kids open their own bank savings accounts and make deposits regularly

President Barack Obama declared April as National Financial Literacy Month. Additionally, the American Bankers Association has been organizing the annual Teach Children to Save Day for the past 15 years, and is being held on April 12, 2011.

Financial education is an ongoing commitment at M&T and our bankers visit schools and community groups throughout the year to share their knowledge on financial issues like budgeting, saving for college, and homeownership.

To invite a banker from M&T to your school or group to talk about financial literacy, go online to www.mtb.com/newsroom, then go to the Social Responsibility page and click on "Community Reinvestment" to contact your local Community Reinvestment officer.

Below is a list of schools that M&T Bank volunteers are visiting during National Financial Literacy Month:

New York

African Road Elementary, Vestal

Fassett Elementary, Elmira

Herkimer Area Resource Center, Herkimer

Highland Elementary, Derby

Holmes Road Elementary, Rochester

Homer Brink Elementary, Endwell

McKinley High School, Buffalo

Riverside High School, Buffalo

Roberts Elementary, Syracuse

Roxboro Road Elementary, Syracuse

Westminster Charter School, Buffalo

World of Inquiry School, Rochester

Pennsylvania

Archbishop Ryan High School, Philadelphia

Bloomsburg Memorial Elementary School, Bloomsburg

Blue Mountain High School, Schuylkill Haven

Calvary Lutheran Preschool, Dover

Camp Curtin Elementary, Harrisburg

Centerville Elementary, Lancaster

Cornwall Elementary, Lebanon

Cornwall Terrace Elementary, Sinking Spring

Fairview Elementary, Mountain Top

Green Ridge Elementary, Mechanicsburg

Hill-Freedman Middle School, Philadelphia

Lincolnway Elementary, York

Mahanoy Area Elementary, Mahanoy City

The Nativity School, Harrisburg

Northeast Bradford Elementary, Rome

Paradise Elementary, Thomasville

Park Elementary School, Columbia

Rolling Acres Elementary, Littlestown

Taylor Elementary, Columbia

St. Veronica Elementary School, Philadelphia

Shrewsbury Elementary, Shrewsbury

South Lebanon Elementary, Lebanon

West Beaver Elementary, McClure

Maryland

Dundalk Middle School, Baltimore

Francis Scott Key Technology Magnet School #76, Baltimore

Hancock Elementary School, Hancock

Holy Angels Catholic School, Baltimore

John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore

M&T Bank, founded in 1856, is one of the top 20 independent commercial bank holding companies in the nation, with $68 billion in assets and more than 725 branch offices in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Ontario, Canada. Read more about M&T Bank online at www.mtb.com/newsroom.

For further information:
New York
Chet Bridger (716)842-5182

Pennsylvania
Kent Wissinger (717)237-6110

Maryland, D.C., Virginia, Delaware
Phil Hosmer (410)949-3042

SOURCE M&T Bank