19 teachers participated in Chaminade University’s summer workshop from July 10-14

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union (Hawaii State FCU) announced today its second annual sponsorship of $40,000 in support of Chaminade University’s Personal Finance and Economics Training Program for teachers. A total of 19 educators from 13 public schools on Oahu participated in the 2023 summer workshop from July 10-14 to gain a better understanding of economics and personal finance, and learn ways to effectively adopt curriculum for their specific grade levels.

“Enriching the minds of future generations through financial education continues to be one of our top priorities at Hawaii State FCU,” said Andrew Rosen, president and CEO of Hawaii State FCU. “We’re proud to support Chaminade University’s financial literacy program for teachers because it helps to lay the foundation for our keiki’s future academic and professional success. We hope more teachers will take advantage of this great opportunity.”

All participating teachers received full scholarships to participate in the program, which were funded by Hawaii State FCU. Hawaii State FCU provided lunch and custom swag bags to all participating teachers, and facilitated workshops on financial education, retirement planning and first-time homebuying options. Teachers will earn three graduate-level academic credits after completing the course, which can be used towards Department of Education (DOE) teacher reclassification.

“Thanks to the support of Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, Chaminade University is able to provide these interactive workshops, which teach our K-12 educators ways to integrate financial literacy into their classrooms,” said Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington. “Financial literacy can translate into positive financial behaviors, which will ensure that our keiki thrive as adults in the future.”

Launched in 2022, the Personal Finance and Economics Training Program for teachers was created through Chaminade University’s Economic Education Center for Excellence. The curriculum includes the economics and personal finance concepts based on the DOE Social Studies Common Core standards, including topics such as market operations and government interventions, environmental economics, personal finance education, and financial wellness. Through the training, participating teachers received access to teaching resources, including ready-to-adopt lesson plans and one-on-one assistance in adopting and adapting lesson plans for specific grade levels.

“This course has been an eye opening experience,” said Rachel Azama teacher at August Ahrens Elementary. “I’ve enjoyed learning from Dr. Gao, as she makes Economics much more approachable and understandable. I hope to use my learnings to educate my students in being financially literate. Thank you Hawaii State FCU!”