Pru Life UK, Cha-Ching Hit Another Milestone With 95,000 Student Reach

Fulfilling another milestone for its Cha-Ching Financial Literacy for the Youth Program, British life insurer Pru Life UK marks a total student reach of 95,000 as 19 more schools join Pru Life UK’s roster of partners integrating Cha-Ching’s money-smart values – earn, save, spend and donate – in the grade school curriculum.

With a renewed partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) extending the implementation of the program in public schools for another three years, a new batch of public schools underwent a full-day training session held in Manila and Iloilo in September and October 2015 to gain practical knowledge and skills to teach smart money management in class.

Since November 2015, the following schools have started implementing the program using Cha-Ching’s workbooks, lesson plans, and educational materials: (1) Philippine Normal University - Institute of Teaching and Learning in Manila; (2) Imelda Elementary School in Malabon City; (3) Tañong Integrated School in Malabon City; (4) Alabang Elementary School in Alabang, Muntinlupa City; (5) Laurel Central School in Laurel, Batangas; (6) Payar Elementary School in San Carlos City, Pangasinan; (7) Pagatpat Elementary School in Calabanga, Camarines Sur; (8) Cabaroan Elementary School in Bacnotan, La Union; (9) Bacnotan Central School in Bacnotan, La Union, (10) Ban-ag Elementary School in Santa Barbara, Iloilo; (11) Leon Central Elementary School in Leon, Iloilo; (12) Jibao-an Elementary School in Pavia, Iloilo; (13) San Antonio-San Nicolas Elementary School in Oton, Iloilo; (14) Santa Barbara Central Elementary School in Santa Barbara, Iloilo; (15) West City Elementary School in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental; (16) Cadagmayan Elementary School in Santa Barbara, Iloilo; and (17) Western Visayas Sanitarium Elementary School in Santa Barbara, Iloilo.

"As DepEd strengthens and promotes its reform initiatives in Philippine education, we continue to find ways to ensure that what our youth learn in school is relevant to their lives. We do this by incorporating life skills in our curriculum, including financial literacy," said DepEd Undersecretary for Partnerships and External Linkages Mario A. Deriquito.

"We are happy and proud of our renewed partnership with Pru Life UK as we will be able to reach more and more schools across the country to create awareness about the importance of handling money and to help instill the fundamental money smart skills among our teachers and students," he continued.

Likewise, promoting the same advocacy on financial literacy, private schools such as Christian School International in Los Baños, Laguna and Childlink Learning Center, Inc. in Cebu also committed to integrate the Cha-Ching smart money management lessons in their curriculum beginning academic year 2016-2017 – bringing a total number of 78 Cha-Ching partner schools to date.

Pru Life UK Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Belle S. Tiongco shared,"We are sincerely grateful for the partnerships that we have cultivated with schools using Cha-Ching as an educational tool. The many breakthroughs that we have achieved with the program were all accomplished because our partners have shared our vision and stayed committed to empowering the youth and shaping a financially-secure future for as many Filipinos as possible."

Apart from the school integration, Cha-Ching has also worked with third-party collaborators such as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) through the Cha-Ching World Tour, reaching 2,500 OFW kids fromNorzagaray and Guiguinto in Bulacan, as well as Olongapo in Zambales, further amplifying the reach of the program.

The Cha-Ching World Tour is an engaging one-day event packed with exciting games and fun activities centered on Cha-Ching's four money smarts. Pru Life UK has conducted Cha-Ching World Tour in 43 schools and partner organizations, directly reaching nearly 10,000 children to date.

Pru Life UK’s flagship corporate social responsibility initiative, Cha-Ching is the first multi-country, multi-platform program that aims to help parents in Asia teach financial literacy to children aged seven to 12. It was launched in Hong Kong in 2011 by Prudential Corporation Asia, the regional headquarters of Pru Life UK.

The Philippines became the first country to integrate Cha-Ching in grade school following the signing of an MOA with the DepEd in April 2012 covering the curricula of grades two and three.

Piloting in Upper Bicutan Elementary School in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Tagaytay Central School in the Southern Tagalog Region for academic year 2012-2013 through DepEd’s Adopt-A-School program, Cha-Ching’s implementation has expanded its coverage to a total of 47 public schools in NCR, Northern and Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for academic year 2015-2016. Cha-Ching is likewise concurrently being integrated in the syllabi of 29 partner private educational institutions nationwide.

Now on its fourth year, Cha-Ching has mobilized and trained a total of 1,333 teachers and directly reached 118,000 parents and children to date.