Madison, Wis. -- The National Credit Union Foundations (NCUF) board of directors has approved seven new Biz Kid$ grants for 2014.The new grants engage the credit union movement in using Biz Kid$ and its curriculum to build students financial literacy and�economic education skills.
In a keynote speech given in June during a Pensions & Investments conference, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said "If our young people arent financially literate, we are part of the problem, not part of the solution."
Credit unions have stepped in to become part of the solution through Biz Kid$, the credit union funded public television series that teaches kids about money management and entrepreneurship.� The Biz Kid$ education grants support credit unions and state foundations in their efforts to extend the reach of the award-winning financial literacy series beyond the television set into communities across the country.
"There is a need to improve the financial literacy skills of the youth in America and Biz Kid$ is the perfect vehicle to address that need," said Danielle Brown, Director of Development & Donor Relations for NCUF. "We are excited to fund these innovative programs that will improve the financial education of youth through the use of the Biz Kid$ program."
The 2014 Biz Kid$ Education Grant projects include:
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Buffalo Metropolitan FCU�in Buffalo, N.Y. will host a Teen Summer Financial Workshop for high school students that live in the city of Buffalo.� Each workshop will include a lecture on the days topic, activities based on Biz Kid$ lessons, and a group activity.
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Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation�in Farmers Branch, Texas will show educators how to teach the Biz Kid$ program. Participating teachers will implement the Biz Kid$ curriculum in their classrooms and students will collaboratively create a business plan for a needed organization in their community.
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DuTrac Community CU�in Dubuque, Iowa�will incorporate Biz Kid$ materials in the classrooms of their in-school credit union branch locations.
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Kansas City CU�in Kansas City, Mo. will host quarterly financial education events for Metro Kansas City public schools utilizing Biz Kid$ materials.
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Maps CU�in Salem, Ore. will work in partnership with Western Oregon Universitys College of Education to incorporate Biz Kid$ into the curriculum of Elementary & Middle School Social Studies Methods, leading to the use of Biz Kid$ in the classrooms.
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Missouri Credit Union Charitable Foundation�in St. Louis, Mo. will�coordinate credit union professionals around the state to provide financial education using Biz Kid$ materials to student in unaccredited or provisionally-accredited school districts in Missouri.
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Tallahassee-Leon FCU�in Tallahassee, Fla.�will offer an innovative financial literacy summer camp for kids that teaches the benefits of understanding money and financial planning utilizing Biz Kid$ episodes.
The National Credit Union Foundation oversees fundraising and outreach responsibilities of Biz Kid$. Over the past six years, more than 300 credit unions and affiliated organizations have raised more than $14 million that has supported the shows production, website and curriculum. In fact, every Biz Kid$ episode begins and ends with a narrator reminding viewers that: "Production funding for Biz Kid$ is provided by Americas Credit Unions, where people are worth more than money." For more information about Biz Kid$,�
click here.
