FRESNO, Calif.–Educational Employees Credit Union said it has partnered with GEAR UP Central Valley run by Wonderful College Prep Academy (WCPA) to provide financial wellness education to children and teens in rural communities throughout California’s Central Valley.
EECU said the long-term partnership will allow it to bring its award-winning “Wise Up” financial education curriculum to students via the GEAR UP program housed across three school districts: Wonderful College Prep Academy (WCPA), Reef-Sunset Unified School District, and Sanger Unified School District.
GEAR UP’s mission is to educate students and families on college and career readiness, including facilitating college and financial literacy workshops for both students and families, the credit union said.
‘Unique Opportunity’
“Through the GEAR UP Central Valley program run by WCPA, we have a unique opportunity to explore partnerships with community-based organizations and local businesses to expand college, career access, and readiness initiatives,” WCPA GEAR UP Director Dr. Stephanie Hartfield said in a statement. “Local organizations, like EECU, are already doing great work by offering free educational workshops to students and families, and that is where GEAR UP serves as a bridge to increase access to critical educational resources among our local communities.
Through the partnership EECU said its financial educators have already hosted dozens of interactive workshops for students ranging in age from second grade to high school seniors and their parents.
“Our Wise Up curriculum really engages students and allows them to learn about managing money by making real-world financial decisions and seeing the outcome,” EECU Member Education Director Noemi Valenzuela said in a statement. “We’re excited to be able to reach even more students in need of this financial education through our partnership with the Wonderful College Prep Academy GEAR UP program.”
All About Wonderful
Wonderful College Prep Academy is a free public charter school with two locations in Delano and Lost Hills, serving 2,400 students from TK to 12th grade. GEAR UP Central Valley is a federally-funded program focused on increasing access to higher education among students, providing academic resources and services to more than 1,700 ninth and tenth grade students in the region.
