Montgomery College Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) will help school children understand how business works as part of SIFE’s national Teach a Child about Business Week, February 4 through the 10.

One group of SIFE students will explain the process by which businesses market products and services. The students will call on their own experiences with advertising and promotions. They will explain the idea of being a consumer and the concept of a target market.

Another group of SIFE students will present "Cash Cow and Business Attitude," a program the group created, to explain the free market economy concept. This presentation will be for third graders who have been selected to participate in an interactive technology discussion. As a result of this presentation, school-aged students will know the basics of saving and investing their own funds, learn the fundamentals of computers in business, and appreciate the significance of teamwork in achieving a common goal. The group will make its presentation to both public and private school classes, with an emphasis on educating Hispanic students.

"I think these (college) students relate well to young children—and the kids want to be like them. So, if business is interesting to college kids, the youngsters will want to pay attention to it, too," says Professor Jeffrey Schwartz, faculty advisor for the SIFE teams and director of Montgomery College’s Macklin Business Institute.

Developed by SIFE as a special competition, Teach a Child about Business Week encourages college SIFE teams to develop projects for children in grades K through 8 to further their comprehension and awareness of the free enterprise system and how business impacts their daily lives.

Founded in 1975, SIFE provides college students the opportunity to make a difference and to develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills through learning, practicing, and teaching the principles of free enterprise. For more information on Teach a Child about Business Week activities, call Montgomery College Professor Jeffrey Schwartz, director of the Macklin Business Institute, at 240-567-5151.