SECU CONTRIBUTES $10,000 TO PROVIDE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY TEACHERS WITH TRAINING IN FINANCIAL LITERACY

SECU – Maryland’s largest state-chartered financial cooperative – has contributed $10,000 to enable 40 Anne Arundel County elementary and middle school teachers to receive training in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.

The training program, to be offered through Junior Achievement of Central Maryland (JA), will equip participating teachers with the skills needed to teach earning, spending, and saving concepts to their students. It also will enable them to have a better understanding of these concepts that they can apply directly to their personal lives.

“It is essential for teachers to be able to equip their students with the financial knowledge and skills necessary to make informed financial choices in a complex and rapidly changing economy,” says Peggy Young, Vice President of Marketing at SECU. “Doing so will not only better prepare our young people as they enter college or begin their careers, but can also serve to spark their entrepreneurial spirit and inspire them to make economic self-sufficiency a reality.”

The program also enables Anne Arundel County Public Schools to meet regulations adopted by the Maryland State Board of Education which require local school systems to implement financial education standards for grades 3-12, beginning in September 2011. Unfortunately, that regulation remains unfunded, while the resources needed to take professional development to scale are scarce.

SECU’s contribution to Junior Achievement ties directly with its long history of helping young adults understand the basics of money management and the issues impacting their financial well-being, according to Young.

SECU currently sponsors numerous financial education and advocacy initiatives, including other programs with Junior Achievement, The Millionaire’s Club, and an annual college scholarship program for family members of state employees, to name a few.

Anne Arundel County teachers participating in the Junior Achievement program initially will receive training in curriculum, delivery techniques, best practices, and personal finance, using JA BizTown and JA Finance Park Virtual. A series of webinars that complement the initial training will focus on topics which teachers have indicated they feel least prepared to teach, including risk management and insurance, saving and investment, financial responsibility and decision-making, and credit and debt.

All participating teachers will be eligible to receive Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Continuing Professional Development Credits toward teacher recertification if they choose to participate in JA’s approved MSDE Continuing Professional Development model.

For additional information, visit Junior Achievement of Central Maryland at www.jamaryland.org or SECU at www.secumd.org.