RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) members are continuing their support of financial literacy for North Carolina’s youth by providing a $75,000 grant from the SECU Foundation to help fund Season 6 production of the Biz Kid$ public television series.  This grant follows the Foundation’s previous donations to the Emmy award-winning Biz Kid$ series, as SECU members provided $125,000 in 2009 and $250,000 in 2011 for production of Seasons 3, 4 and 5.

Introduced by SECU’s staff to North Carolina schools, Biz Kid$ programming can be viewed on several University of North Carolina Public Television Network stations and is a fun and educational middle school financial education curriculum that teaches kids about money and business.  The program is a great addition to SECU’s other youth education offerings, including SECU’s FAT CAT Program for elementary-age students, the National Endowment for Financial Education High School Financial Planning Program (NEFE HSFPP), SECU’s Reality of Money Experiential Learning Program, and young adult presentations for college-age students.

There are currently over 750 SECU employees statewide who are trained to teach Biz Kid$.  Through established connections with local schools, these representatives teach Biz Kid$ curriculum in the classroom and provide ongoing support to the schools’ faculty and staff.  In addition, the Credit Union gifts a season series DVD box set to public middle schools, making the videos accessible to students and giving teachers the confidence to use a nationally supported financial education program that has been mapped to the state standards in North Carolina.

“Credit Union staff have found the Biz Kid$ program to be a valuable financial education tool for middle school students.  It keeps them engaged in the learning process of managing money,” said Jim Johnson, SECU Foundation Board Chair.  “SECU strives to find creative ways to help youth understand and develop good spending and saving habits – essential life skills needed to help them become financially healthy.”

Last year, SECU reached top spots in the National Youth Involvement Board’s award program, which recognizes credit unions’ youth financial education presentation efforts.  Between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016, SECU team members delivered 784 presentations, reaching 72,622 youth – 44 of which were Biz Kid$ presentations to 2,354 students.

About SECU and the SECU Foundation
A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 79 years.  The Credit Union also offers a diversified line of financial advisory services including retirement and education planning, tax preparation, insurance, trust and estate planning services, and investments through its partners and affiliated entities.  SECU serves 2.2 million members through 257 branch offices, nearly 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone and a website, www.ncsecu.org.  The SECU Foundation, a 501c (3) charitable organization funded solely by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services.

Contact:  Jama Dagenhart, Executive Director
Office:  919-839-5562 | secufoundation@ncsecu.org