Lizeth GeorgeThe League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates (LSCU & Affiliates) is celebrating Financial Literacy Month and Youth Month, both holidays occurring in April. Financial Literacy Month is a nationwide celebration with the goal to improve the financial literacy education among youths and adults. Youth Month is a celebration where credit unions help teach and encourage kids to develop good financial habits.
The Southeastern Credit Union Foundation (SECUF) is excited to celebrate these holidays by announcing the new Empowerment Through Financial Education program. This program offers informational resources and templates for credit unions to share with their members such as how to budget while in college, understanding credit reports and credit scores, and how to utilize mobile banking. These free materials are available for download here.
Another way the SECUF is celebrating is by offering the new and improved Books Make Cent$ program. This initiative is an interactive way to introduce students to credit unions and basic financial concepts, while building relationships with schools and community partners. The Books Make Cent$ program provides book recommendations and associated lesson plans for preschool, elementary, and middle school levels. In addition to providing these financial-related books, we will also include lesson plans, found here, to pair with each book, making this an optimal student engagement opportunity.
The Enrich Credit Union Employee Financial Wellness program, also offered by the SECUF, is another way for credit union employees to take charge of their financial wellbeing. The Program was created in 2020 to support credit unions by providing financial educational resources to employees in hopes that these resources would implement positive, financial change. These resources help employees create better financial plans for their future, which in turn, fosters a healthier work environment. This tool is made available to all LSCU & Affiliates members and is provided at no cost at all to affiliated credit unions. For more information on this program, click here.
LSCU & Affiliates is also excited to see more financial education programs being offered in schools due to Florida’s student financial literacy bill signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on March 22, 2022. This bill requires high school students take a half-credit personal finance course before graduation. The state financial literacy class will include topics such as opening and managing a bank account, balancing a checkbook, and completing a loan application. For more information on this new law, click here.
