Cincinnati Magazine: Show them the money
Magazine profiles UC's Julie Heath and the $martPath program she developed
The first online comment to the Cincinnati Magazine article – “Show them the money: $martPath uses puppets to teach kids financial literacy” – is a spot-on endorsement:
“What a fantastic (and creative) way to help young people understand the financial choices they will be making the rest of their lives. Learning at a young age will give these kids a HUGE advantage over their peers. Kudos to Julie Heath!”
The magazine article profiles Julie Heath, director of the Alpaugh Family Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati, and the evolution of $martPath, an award-winning series of videos that teaches young students about economic concepts via cartoons and puppetry. The video stories, with bears, skunks, and robot puppets, illustrate how to save money and distinguish between cash and credit.
The article’s author goes into great detail to explain how a rapping puppeteer, a public TV station, and a UC economist team up to teach children about financial aliteracy and making good choices.
“We’re not teaching a 5-year-old to write a check,” Heath says in the article. “We’re teaching a 5-year-old that if you borrow something, you give it back in the same condition they gave it to you. We’re teaching a 5-year-old that if you choose this, you’re giving up that.”
$martPath celebrated the release of its first six puppet videos with a red-carpet event in February 2020. Published on the $martPath website, YouTube, and PBS Learning Media, the 5- to 10-minute clips and accompanying lesson plans proved instant hits among kids, teachers, and parents. They also won three regional Emmys and were spotlighted on CNBC.
Feature image at top Julie Heath.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
‘Designer drug’ shows early neuroprotective signal in acute ischemic stroke
October 28, 2025
Medscape highlighted new trial results led by the University of Cincinnati's Eva Mistry that found an experimental drug shows promise in protecting injured brain cells for patients with acute ischemic stroke.
Meet the young talent reshaping Cincinnati’s startup scene
October 28, 2025
Five University of Cincinnati students were honored for their impactful entrepreneurship on the Cincy Inno Under 25 list. We’ll explain what makes each student – and their startup – stand out.
Is menstrual fluid ‘the most overlooked opportunity’ in women’s health?
October 27, 2025
The Guardian recently reported that period blood has long been thought of as ‘stinky and useless’, but startups are exploring using the fluid to test for a wide range of health conditions — including endometriosis.