The Meridian Public School District’s Office of Parent and Community Engagement will host a series of financial literacy workshops this week for parents and community residents to help make sure they are in control of their finances.

The workshops, titled “Your Money Matters,” will begin Tuesday and run through Thursday. They are free and open to parents of school students, as well as all community residents. Attendees can register at the door.

“The purpose of the workshops is to provide financial information to our families and community members,” said Adrian Cross-Phillips, the school district’s Parent and Community Engagement Specialist. “We want to help them learn how to have control over their finances because having control helps to provide financial stability.”

Cross-Phillips said among the topics to be discussed at each workshop are basic budgeting information, ways to save, understanding a credit score and the importance of having a good score, learning to make good spending decisions, and budgeting money around holiday spending.

“The Meridian school district is part of the community, and we are providing these workshops in partnership with our community sponsors as a way of giving back to the community we serve,” she said.

“We want our parents and community members to have the information they need to be in control financially and to be able to invest in themselves and have a better life,” Cross-Phillips said.

The first workshop will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Velma Young Community Center, located at 2400 24th Street in Meridian, in partnership with 1st Mississippi Federal Credit Union.

The second workshop will take place from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday in Room 171 at the Meridian Community College Workforce Development Center, located at 1524 Highway 19 N. The workshop will be sponsored by Citizens National Bank.

The third, and final, workshop will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday in Room 134 of the MCC Workforce Development Center. The workshop will be sponsored by Bank Plus.

For more information about the financial literacy workshops, visit the district website at www.mpsdk12.net or email Cross-Phillips at across@mpsdconnect.org.