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Hands-on lessons in entrepreneurship evolved into a marketplace filled with tutus, bow ties, homemade slime, bath balm, soap bars and more at Kids’ Day Entrepreneurship, Friday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m. to noon, 6005 Westview, Houston, Texas. Hosted by Harris County Department of Education’s Center for Afterschool, Summer and Enrichment for Kids, or CASE for Kids, the event brought together about 150 students from 10 area schools.

Afterschool students from Alief, Aldine, Houston, Stafford, Spring, Clear Creek, Galena Park, Humble and Southwest Schools Charter studied entrepreneurship, marketing and money management during their afterschool programs. The curriculum created by CASE for Kids prepares students for this culminating event.

“Our afterschool students have been busy designing businesses, conducting market research, setting profit points, investigating advertising techniques and analyzing differences between spending and saving money,” said CASE for Kids Director Lisa Thompson-Caruthers. “With this curriculum we create, students experience the first-hand challenges and opportunities of operating a business in a free market economy.”

Kids Day at Entrepreneurship gives Houston-area students real-life, hands-on experience in business practices, economics and marketing. Guest bankers will assist the students with opening mock checking accounts and completing mock loan applications.

As an afterschool intermediary, CASE for Kids provides resources, trainings and funding for students in grades pre-k through 12 in afterschool programs in schools, child care facilities and community centers. As a branch of Harris County Department of Education, the division was founded in 1999 with a goal to keep kids safe, help working families and improve academic achievement.

About Harris County Department of Education: HCDE provides special education, therapy services, early education, adult education and after-school programming. Services are funded by government grants, fees and a local property tax rate of $.005195. For every dollar in local property tax collected, HCDE provides $4.40 in services to the 25 Harris County school districts. HCDE also operates four campuses for students with profound special education needs and adjudicated youth who require a low student-teacher ratio and highly structured environment. One-hundred percent of students served on HCDE campuses are at-risk. The organization is governed by an elected board of seven trustees and has 1,060 employees and 33 facilities, including 15 Head Start centers. More info at www.hcde-texas.org.