Achieve Students Learn Financial Literacy with Student-Run Credit Union

Through a unique community partnership, Achieve Charter Academy students are learning the basics of financial literacy.

The school partners with Community Financial Credit Union (CFCU) to host a student-run credit union. Scholars can open a savings account and make deposits once per month. While parents have full access to these accounts, students are getting the real experience of building up savings.

The program gets about 30 scholars involved, including a handful of students who earned “jobs” at the school. A CFCU representative recruits fifth- and seventh-grade students for leadership roles like People Leader, Deposit Specialist, Operations Specialist, and Impact Specialist. Scholars complete an application and go through a job interview with CFCU. Once on staff, this team is responsible for advertising and promoting the credit union, entering all transactions into a computer system, and counting and tracking deposits.

Dean of Special Education, EL and Intervention Tiffany Kopsi helps oversee the partnership and said the student employees are benefitting from the experience.

“They enjoy doing it,” Kopsi said. “They also take it very seriously. It’s not just a fun thing. They feel like they have a responsibility to uphold, which is great. Our seventh graders can earn community service for their jobs, and our fifth graders take it seriously because it’s their first opportunity to do something like this.”

Students who participate without any administrative duties are still learning valuable financial literacy skills, setting a foundation for success. CFCU offers incentives and sometimes hands out small prizes when deposits are made.

The partnership between CFCU and Achieve has been strong for at least the past decade. With this commitment to community partnerships, it should come as no surprise the school has outperformed the local district since it opened in 2009.

With this crucial life skill at the top of students’ minds, Kopsi said everyone at school benefits from the culmination of information and community support.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Kopsi said. “Our entire building is impacted because we’re learning about saving money. It’s a good way to start that skill at a young age. This gives them a real hands-on experience to be able to learn those money management skills that they’re definitely going to need.”

Way to teach students important skills early in life, Tiffany and Achieve!