News

At CCU, financial education is one of our core values. We believe that when we increase the amount of financial knowledge in our community, we also improve people’s lives. Over the past 15 years, and with the help of many CCU employees, we have reached more than 25,000 students by teaching them important financial lessons they may not receive anywhere else.

Our focus on youth education began in 2004 with the launch of FoolProof^®, a web-based financial literacy program sponsored by credit unions and used in middle and high schools throughout the U.S. Since that time, our involvement in local schools has grown immensely. We proudly partner with dozens of schools to provide financial literacy education opportunities throughout the school year to students in various grade levels. Here’s a look at what we do: 

• Budget Simulations – Mad City Money and Adulting 101 activities which teach middle and high school students the importance of proper money management and budgeting skills by presenting situations like renting or buying a home, buying a car, and taking a vacation, all while navigating life’s planned and unplanned financial twists and turns.
• Student Branches – CCU currently operates two student branches in New York, one which opened in 2008 at the GST BOCES location and one that opened in 2015 at Elmira High School.  Our student branches provide High School students with valuable, real-life experiences of applying and interviewing for a job, and working in the branch environment with their peers.

CCU volunteers can also be found reading to students in Pre-K classrooms, as well as educating high school students during topic-specific presentations like budgeting and getting and using credit. High school students are also able to take advantage of job shadowing opportunities with CCU.

We believe it’s never too early to start learning the importance of responsible money management and other life skills. This is why we are committed to making a positive impact on the communities we serve by providing financial education to a wide range of age groups every year.