A little about me, the creator of KidCash and why I made this.
As a parent of two toddlers, there was a point at which I became tired of feeling out of control. There were so many things that I wanted to teach them, and I just thought that there must be an easier way. A way where I didn't have to fight them, where things made sense. That somehow they would know that the rules exist because I love them and want the best for them. And then it dawned on me. I do this for a living every day.
I have spent almost twenty years designing user experiences and products or people as a career. It means being in the field, making observations and learning how to motivate people towards their goals. I use incentives every day to get the job done. Once I thought about this as I do my day job, it became clear.
I am currently the Head of Product Design for Arianna Huffington's Thrive Global, a company that focuses on wellness and behavior change.
Behavior change takes a long time so how do you get your children to try things your way enough times to create a habit. The formula is pretty simple, you use incentivizes to reduce friction enough to start and repeat an action, and then you provide intrinsic reasoning to make it last.
Currency is broken down to serve as a stronger way to help children focus on the messages regarding each important topic such as digital devices, nutrition, exercise, saving and giving. Violations are a way to introduce loss aversion, which has shown to be twice as powerful than gains to motivate adults. Bonuses create an element of surprise and delight to get kids over the tougher tasks before them. Gift dollars are a way to highlight the importance of generosity and empathy. Bank books teach the basic tenants of finance, something I thought was lacking in our educational system today. I brought it all together with a daily review process that not only makes the system easy as a concept to implement, but gives parents and children a set time to create valuable face-to-face communication.
I'm not in it for the money, that's why you see it being offered for free all over my site. I enjoy what I do, and the ultimate reward for me is knowing that my product works.
The best thing I ever heard was a parent who reached out to me and told me that her son wanted to tell me something. The message was, "Thank you for making this. I think this will really help me out." It struck me because I wasn't even focused at the time from the child's point of view but it was only the beginning of many other notes of gratitude. To make something that can positively impact others is one of the most rewarding things I could dream of doing, but I want to do more.
I want this to be more than just a good product. Ultimately I want children to walk away with a great experience, and for families to keep close with the lines of communication open. I want children to learn more important lessons through exposure earlier on when it matters the most. I want the company to be an example of how you can be successful while keeping it Made In America. I want to use the sales of KidCash to help charities world wide and show other companies that you can grow a loyal customer base by doing social good. I basically want this product to help in any way that I can come up with because you can't take it with you.
My husband and I met in 1996 (in college) but it wasn't until eight years later that we started dating. Fast forward, I am very proud of him and his long standing career as a Lieutenant in the FDNY. We have two amazing toddlers. We were both born and raised in Brooklyn New York and have no plans of leaving any time soon. Life is full of adventures that we enjoy one day at a time.
KidCash is as flexible as you are. We work hard to create as much value for you as we can dream up. Here are some of the different ways you can implement the system to get your creative juices flowing including our favorites, "The Reverse Psychology", "The Auction" and more.
This is when you make them agree to get started. The easiest way is to use opportunities where they think something isn't fair to start a conversation of allowing them to make decisions. It could be in the toy store, where they are asking for a toy. When the answer is no, and they are upset, now is the perfect time to ask if they'd like to start earning income.
This is when you introduce the system one piece at a time, until you've built up your web of positive reinforcement, opportunities, rules and rewards.
This is when you explain the entire system to your children and just let them wing it until they get it.
This is when you stock your house with an irresistible treat to get them started with the habit of exchanging a dollar for something of value. It could be a bag of Hershey's kisses, and you've only started with the one candy dollar a night. You just ask, "who wants a Hershey's kiss? Oh you do? Do you have a candy dollar?"
This is when you treat the dollars like a ticket at an amusement park. One will get them the ability to do something, rather than thinking of the dollar amount the privilege would buy.
This is when you create a value system based on real world economics and your personal budget.
