Get involved in financial education with these simple tips

Open a youth branch or sponsor a student savings program

"The Credit Union School Branch Handbook" covers the regulatory, marketing and logistical issues involved in establishing a student branch. Included are sample letters and forms (Courtesy: Michigan Family Involvement Council). If you pursue forming a youth branch, contact the Wisconsin Office of Credit Unions to file an application for subsidiary office. Please also notify Christine Henzig at the League at (800) 242-0833 to include your effort in our chart of Wisconsin youth education activities.

How to start a youth branch - features tips and tools to utilize in creating a partnership with a local school.

Starting a High School Credit Union Power Point Presentation (PDF)

List of credit unions' youth-run branches

Sample communications to promote your youth-run branch among lawmakers, media, etc.

Participate in financial education workshops around the state

National Institutes of Financial and Economic Literacy - Weeklong workshops for Wisconsin teachers that help them bring personal finance topics to their classrooms. Identify a teacher in your area, and sponsor their attendance at this event. Or, sponsor the institutes themselves.

Money Conferences - Teaches adults and their children on varying financial topics, such as basic budgeting, saving, investing and use of credit.

Observe National Credit Union Youth Week

National Credit Union Youth Week - held every April - Get ideas to participate in Youth Week from CUNA and urge your younger members to participate in the savings challenge.

Give financial presentations in schools or to community groups

Offer to come for a day or a few days to share short lessons on a financial topic.

Searchable database of teaching materials – Searchable database for free or low-cost teaching materials. Search by type of materials, grade level and description (e.g., a web site for 6th graders dealing with saving).

Participate in Money Smart Week Wisconsin

Money Smart Week - held every April - is a joint effort by organizations across the state to hold events, workshops and presentations that promote financial education. Events can target any age group and should focus on helping consumers learn to better manage their personal finances - they should not be used to promote services, provide rates or open new accounts.

Offer turnkey educational programs to targeted groups

The following programs are complete curricula designed to be taught over a few weeks, as weekend courses, etc.

my RetirementPaycheck - A free tool that helps members preparing for retirement ensure they are on target.
CashCourse - A free tool provided by The National Endowment for Financial Education® (NEFE) that provides financial education to college students.

Can I Make It on My Own? student guide - A four-lesson classroom curriculum that introduces high school students to the basics of financial planning.

Money@School student guide - A four-lesson classroom curriculum that introduces middle school students to the basics of personal finance.

MoneySKILL online financial education tutorial - Thirty-four "how-to" modules focus on income, money management, spending, credit and saving and investing.

Thrive by Five: Teaching Your Preschooler About Spending and Saving - Free educational activities and resources to help parents of preschoolers and professionals working with this age group teach basic money concepts.

Googolplex Goes to School - Turnkey educational program for middle-school students. Helps credit unions that may not be ready to staff an in-school branch create a relationship with a school and its students. Your credit union sponsors materials (including cash management software) that help teachers run a students savings program and refer students to your credit union for additional services. Includes use of Googolplex on your CU web site for your younger members, and an innovative, live theater performance for students that you can alert media to as a great publicity opportunity (great visual for TV or newspaper photo desk). Also creates opportunities for your staff to present on financial topics in the classroom.

America Saves - Credit unions, as well as other financial institutions, offer financial products, such as low-minimum balance savings accounts, that encourage people to save. Individuals who participate as "savers" work toward a savings goal (which may be just to eliminate debt, or for tuition, retirement, down payment on a first home, etc.), and receive support from saving coaches, get an encouraging newsletter, etc.

Financial Security in Later Life - Several curricula that can be useful on their own, or as part of the overall development of a financial plan for teaching adults. Professional educators at UW Extension offices around Wisconsin are available to train credit union staff to use these materials.

Junior Achievement - This is a program inspiring kids to learn the economics of life through free enterprise education. JA enables caring business professionals to share their experience with students to show them what it takes to be successful.

Credit Smart - Teaching materials for consumers looking for reliable information on credit, money management, homeownership, and foreclosure avoidance. Credit unions should contact Freddie Mac for information about train-the-trainer sessions that are essential to make the most of these materials.

Your Money Matters - Financial Education Initiative of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.

High School Financial Planning Program (HSFPP) with free student/teacher materials available online! - This is a free, fully developed curriculum that credit union people can take into schools, or provide to teachers for classroom use. The materials provide a basic introduction to personal financial planning, covering the impact of career and work factors on earnings potential, spending and saving money, using and managing credit effectively, protecting assets and the time value of money. Students also are taught how to develop their own personal spending and savings plan.

The program is filled with practical assignments relevant to a teen's experience and a step-by-step instructor's manual. You can also order the materials online in English or Spanish.

By using HSFPP materials, teachers are helping students achieve the state's Model Academic Standards for Personal Financial Literacy - educators’ guidelines for what financial knowledge and skills educators should have by grades 4, 8 and 12.

UW-Extension can help in implementing the program. Learn more below.

"Like" the program on Facebook.

Free High School Financial Planning Program PowerPoint Presentations - These can be used in the classroom by credit union presenters or teachers in conjunction with the free High School Financial Planning Program (HSFPP). They cover all six units of the HSFPP curriculum and offer speakers a resource to begin using the program. Contact Christine Henzig at The League if you are interested in using the PowerPoint Presentations.

brass|STUDENT PROGRAM - The brass|STUDENT PROGRAM promotes responsible personal financial management and teachers can use it to help students achieve the state's Model Academic Standards for Personal Financial Literacy - educators’ guidelines for what financial knowledge and skills educators should have by grades 4, 8 and 12 - through brass|MAGAZINE as well as other student and teacher resources. Check out credit union steps for involvement in the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM.

Partner with organizations dedicated to financial literacy

The Wisconsin Jump$tart Coalition - The League is among the many organizations in Wisconsin that comprise the coalition, which works to improve financial literacy statewide. By joining at no cost, you'll receive communications about what Wisconsin organizations are doing to improve financial literacy, have an opportunity to attend meetings and be made aware of financial literacy events that your credit union can help plan, present at or sponsor and much more! The coalition has high visibility among the media AND legislators, so get "in the loop!"

Jump$tart's Clearinghouse - Searchable database of free or low-cost teaching programs/materials. Search by type of materials, grade level and description (e.g., a web site for 6th graders dealing with saving).

UW-Extension - Individual credit unions, as well as credit union chapters, can get help from UW-Extension educators to implement a ready-to-use financial education curriculum in local high schools. Help is available to credit unions that are using or would like to use the High School Financial Planning Program (HSFPP).

UW-Extension, which is part of the University of Wisconsin system, is a natural fit for the HSFPP because the UW-Extension system has offices in most counties and many offices have an educator with expertise in family financial issues. The Extension system’s outreach and financial education expertise complements the credit union chapter system’s ready supply of guest speakers and long-standing history of community outreach.

UW-Extension educators bring to the team their expertise in family economics and educational theory, practice, training and evaluation. They can help you:

Present HSFPP materials and teach techniques at local credit union chapter meetings to familiarize interested chapter members with the HSFPP.
Show the effectiveness of youth personal finance education and the HSFPP on the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of young consumers.
Research how the HSFPP helps public school teachers meet state educational standards.
Prepare a plan to reach local school districts and persuade them to use the HSFPP, especially in required courses.
Enroll teachers and classes in the HSFPP.
Train credit union people, teachers and other volunteers how to use the HSFPP in the classroom.
Identify other teaching resources. There may be other free or low-cost resources that could help supplement the foundation laid by the HSFPP. The educators can show you how to use them.
Raise awareness among teachers about credit unions as a resource.They’ll spread the word through publications, electronic communications and appearances at state, regional and national teachers’ conferences.
Identify local individuals and organizationsthat might provide additional opportunities to reach teenagers outside the school system.
Evaluate the resultsof a credit union/Extension collaboration and suggest modifications.

National Youth involvement Board (NYIB) - Get help from the National Youth Involvement Board (NYIB) and budget for the annual NYIB Conference, which teaches credit union people how to become more involved in financial education efforts!

The League's Volunteer Achievement Program (VAP) - This correspondence course, geared for credit union volunteers, lets you learn at your own pace. It shows you how to set up a two-way communications program with younger members and demonstrate by example why the credit union is unique. Contact Judy Phillips at (800) 242-0833, Ext. 6020 for more information.

Additional resources for credit unions

MyMoney.gov - The U.S. government's website dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education.

CUNA's products and services to help you implement a financial education program.

Tell teachers how they can use credit unions – Flyer to give to local schools or adapt on your own letterhead.

Give teens a "Reality Check" with this fun, online tool!

Refer financially troubled adult members for credit counseling.