FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Juli Anne Callis, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Kids Learn and Earn At Summer Financial Literacy Boot Camps
SANTA CLARA, Ca. – (August 2008) – While the news of the financial woes affects record numbers of families across California, KeyPoint Credit Union was busy teaching the next generation how to save, share and spend wisely.
Hundreds of campers from kindergarten through high school attended full-day sessions at the Thomas Russell Middle School in Milpitas, Ca. KeyPoint developed the Financial Literacy Boot Camp curriculum in tandem with local educators in an effort to sow the seeds of financial success. KeyPoint staff members set up each camp, taught the classes and led fun-filled activities as the campers gained new understanding and money management skills.
Each day involved a pre-test and post-test to measure the results of the camp curriculum. The campers were provided opportunities to earn K.P. Bucks as a form of camp currency. At the end of each day, students cashed in their hard earned bucks for movie tickets, gift cards and assorted prizes. Each day was devoted to a different age group with age-appropriate topics. Children in kindergarten to grade three start with the basic monetary concepts of save, share and spend and are introduced to the calculator. Grades four to six learn about banks and credit unions, how to make a budget and how to write checks. Grades seven through nine learn about different types of accounts, identity theft, credit scores and reports and basic principles of calculating interest. High school students had four challenging sessions to complete including: “Build Your Wealth,” “Stay Safe,” “Borrow Wisely,” and “Build Your Own Business.”
“We believe that there is a real lack of basic money management skills as reflected by the negative savings rate in the USA,” says Juli Anne Callis, EVP and chief operating officer for KeyPoint. “We have found that children want to know more about money matters. The summer camps are a fun environment and provide some very important tools. The camp has been a great hit from the day it was launched four years ago. It continues to grow each year in both content and attendance. The feedback from parents and the educators in our community lets us know we are on the right track with this program.”
“We believe that financial education is essential,” states Timothy Kramer, president and CEO for KeyPoint. “We provide a host of education programs for our members so including children seemed to be a logical next step.”
KeyPoint Credit Union was founded in 1979 as AEA Credit Union providing financial services for people in the technology industry, specifically employees of companies who were members of the American Electronics Association. In 2004, KeyPoint Credit Union expanded its membership to serve the broader Silicon Valley Community. KeyPoint became the first financial institution to launch the Facebook Banking Application, garnering Online Banking Report's "Best of the Web" award. For more information, visit keypointcu.com.