Pru Life UK, together with its community investment arm in Asia and Africa, Prudence Foundation, and Junior Achievement (JA) Philippines, have certified over 2,400 teachers to teach financial education under the 2022 Cha-Ching Curriculum Financial Accreditation (CCFA) program for the school year 2021-2022.

Cha-Ching was introduced back in 2011 as an online, interactive platform to promote and teach children about the four money-smart concepts - Earn, Save, Spend and Donate. In 2016, Pru Life UK partnered with JA Philippines to have the Cha-Ching Curriculum, using the already successful Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids materials, integrated in the Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (Values Formation) subject of Grade 4 students, in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd).

The objective is to provide an organized approach and structured lesson plans for teachers to ensure good learning outcomes for the students. It is also meant to adopt timely and proactive measures to intensify the integration of financial literacy in the K to 12 basic education system curriculum in the country.

In order to supplement the financial education curriculum implementation, the CCFA, an online assessment tool, was created. This tool is to accredit and recognize the hardworking teachers for their mastery in teaching the money-smart lessons of the Cha-Ching Curriculum.

“The idea of earning money, having to save, having to have a budget, having expenses, and understanding what are expenses versus savings - these are issues that affect all of us. By the age of seven (7), basic concepts related to financial behavior will have already been formulated or developed,” said Marc Fancy, Executive Director of Prudence Foundation.

“Our goal is to reach even more Filipino students and teachers in this continuing commitment for financial education and inclusion. It is our fervent hope that the Financial Education Policy will usher greater momentum for Cha-Ching to bring smiles to more Filipino children and their families, and help them get the most out of life,”

shared Atty. Emeren Vallente, SVP and Chief Legal and Government Relations Officer of Pru Life UK, in her opening remarks during the virtual recognition program.

“We at JA are in the business of empowering young people and what better way to do this than recognizing outstanding teachers and outstanding teaching. The CCFA program has been developed to inspire excellence and to recognize these special educators that have made such a strong positive impact on financial literacy,” said Maziar Sabet, President and CEO of JA Asia Pacific.

As the highlight of the celebration, various top and special awards were handed over to Cha-Ching teachers and institutions who have shown exemplary commitment, dedication and brilliance in teaching Filipino youth the value of financial literacy. About 40 CCFA exam topnotchers from the Philippines were chosen to attend the first ever regionwide Cha-Ching Financial Literacy Conference, sponsored by the Prudence Foundation in partnership with JA Asia Pacific, held on February 18-19, 2022.

Going forward, Cha-Ching will continue in its drive to foster financially literate youth, alongside teachers and partners in the education sector, through ceaseless improvements and innovations, toward expanding its reach beyond the current 170,000 student beneficiaries this year.

Between the years 2016 to 2021, Cha-Ching was able to connect with close to 500,000 Filipino students. Additionally, just in 2021, Cha-Ching was able to garner 6,747 educators to teach the Cha-Ching Curriculum in participating schools in the Philippines, bringing the cumulative number to 11,910 teachers from 2016 to 2021.

For more information about Cha-Ching, please contact coordinator2@japionline.org or visit https://chaching.cartoonnetworkasia.com/en/.

Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential plc in Asia and Africa, the parent company of leading life insurer Pru Life UK, together with Junior Achievement (JA) Philippines kick-started 2021 by celebrating the achievements of the Cha-Ching Curriculum at the Cha-Ching Financial Accreditation (CCFA) virtual award ceremony on January 15, 2021.

“The future of a country lies in the classrooms of today; and by providing children with the right financial skills and knowledge, we are building a generation equipped with responsible financial behaviors that will help them achieve their goals and navigate a successful life,” said Marc Fancy, Executive Director of Prudence Foundation.

Amidst the ongoing pandemic, JA Philippines has acknowledged the Cha-Ching teachers through a new series of educational and institutional awards in the beginning of the year.

“We at JA are committed to empowering young people. A great way to drive this is to nurture and recognize outstanding teachers who dedicate and distinguish themselves in such a noble pursuit,” shared Maziar Sabet, President and CEO of JA Asia Pacific.

Celebrating its 10th year of launch in the Asia-Pacific region, Cha-Ching is a financial literacy program that teaches elementary students money-smart concepts of Earn, Save, Spend, and Donate. Through animated music videos and other educational resources, children as young as seven years old are exposed to foundational financial concepts that help guide their decision-making throughout their lives.

Launched in the Philippines in 2016, the Cha-Ching Curriculum, created by Prudence Foundation in partnership with JA Philippines and sponsored by Pru Life UK, is complemented by the rollout of the Cha-Ching Financial Accreditation (CCFA), an online assessment tool which aims to develop educators’ competencies in teaching the Cha-Ching Curriculum in their respective schools and regions, endorsed by the Department of Education in the Philippines and across Asia. Developed in partnership with JA Asia Pacific, the CCFA is aligned with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Core Competencies Framework on Financial Literacy for Youth and the ASEAN Teachers Competency Framework.

Teachers who successfully completed the training have received a CCFA certification as an acknowledgment of their dedication and professionalism in implementing the Cha-Ching Curriculum. Special awards were also given to teachers who have shown exemplary commitment and excellence in teaching young children the value of financial literacy.

“Pru Life UK remains committed to supporting financial education among Filipinos. We encourage everyone to join us as champions of this advocacy,” shared Allan Tumbaga, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Marketing Officer of Pru Life UK at the awarding ceremony.

Rose Fres Fausto, a renowned investment banker and current columnist at the Philippine Star, delivered a keynote speech focused on financial education at the ceremony. She also answered questions and shared valuable insights about the impact of financial literacy on personal development at a discussion forum.

Krishna Alejandrino, Executive Director of JA Philippines also graced the event.

A total of 2,075 Cha-Ching teachers registered and passed the accreditation for the School Year 2019-2020. These teachers are hailed from Negros Occidental, Camarines Sur, and Albay.

The following top awards were conferred during the virtual ceremony. The Top Certified CCFA Passers, given to teachers who scored full marks on their accreditation, were awarded to 50 out of 2,000 recipients across Negros Occidental, Camarines Sur, and Albay.

The Outstanding Educator of the Year Award recognizes teachers who exemplify remarkable dedication and implementation of the Cha-Ching Curriculum despite challenges around resources, geographical location, and fallout from COVID-19. The awards were presented by Marc Fancy to Vicky Sugino from Negros Occidental and Jerica Quitalia from Albay.

The Outstanding CCFA Network Partner went to Goa Elementary School, for their outstanding implementation and program structure. While the Cha-Ching Bling Award went to the school with the best implementation of Earn, Save, Spend, and Donate through school activities, resulting in the greatest impact on students and their community. Pagatpat Elementary School was the proud recipient of this award, with a cash prize for Brigada Eskwela.

Over 157,000 students in the Philippines have benefitted from the Cha-Ching program in the past year. Going forward, this will be expanded with modules further integrated into the country’s existing elementary school curriculum.

Leading life insurer Pru Life UK, in partnership with Prudence Foundation and Junior Achievement Philippines, ushered in a cheerful Christmas season with Cha-Ching Kid$ at Home: Money-Smart and Meaningful Holidays for Filipino Families. The expert-led and fun-filled webinar was attended by about 500 parents and their children.

The virtual event, which was hosted by Pru Life UK Assistant Manager for Investments Marketing Mary Jane Pangan, featured family and finance experts Rose Fres Fausto and Edric Mendoza, who shared how families can create a purposeful Christmas. Kids joined fun holiday-themed games that taught them basic money management concepts.

“While this Christmas season comes amid unprecedented times, the joyous spirit of the holidays remains and thrives. We hope that by extending the Cha-Ching money management values to families at this time of the year we will be able to help them have a more money-smart and meaningful celebration,” says Pru Life UK Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Marketing Officer Allan Tumbaga.

Expert-led talks on a purposeful Christmas

Fausto is an investment banker turned author, columnist, and speaker on purposeful parenting. She also runs FQ Mom, a blog and YouTube channel that focuses on money and family. She led the talk Holidays on a Budget: How to Have a Merrier Christmas by Spending Less and shared her “Christmas FQripot Tips” with the audience. These include cutting back on gifts, clothes, and decor expenses despite seeing big discounts and sales. “When you shop at sale events, be sure to know the actual price of the item, and keep in mind that you should only buy what you need and not because it is cheap,” said Fausto.

She was joined by Mendoza, an entrepreneur, family advocate, and former lead anchor of ANC’s On the Money. He is also the chairman of Homeschool Global Learning Inc. and president of The Parentschooling Co. At the virtual event, he shared his insights on the values of charity in Meaningful Holidays: Ways You Can Give Back to Your Community, where his three kids made a special appearance and talked about buying gifts for the family with a budget. Mendoza also encouraged parents to teach their kids about charity at their young age. “For children to embrace the value of giving, we must provide them the opportunity to experience the joy of it. That way it would be easier for them to practice giving back to the community as they grow up,” he said.

During the games, kids tested their money management skills in Kris Kringle Quiz, where they had to choose the best gift that fits a given category and budget. In Matching Gifts, kids had to memorize the names of children and their corresponding Christmas wishes. They then had to match a donation to the kid who wished for it. A total of six participants won a P500 gift card and a set of Cha-Ching comic books, while one lucky attendee won a brand-new tablet and a Christmas gift basket perfect for Noche Buena.

The virtual event was in line with Pru Life UK’s We DO Education commitment to promote financial literacy in the Philippines. Beyond the webinar, Cha-Ching Kid$ at Home offers a set of printable resources that parents can use to teach their children basic money management concepts like Earn, Save, Spend, and Donate. The modules were created by Pru Life UK and Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudence plc.

“While Christmas can be an extravagant celebration, many of us are feeling the blow of the pandemic. We hope Cha-Ching Kid$ at Home provides people with helpful and useful money management tips, especially on saving and donating. Then hopefully everyone can still feel and share in the Christmas spirit even though traditional festivities may be disrupted,” shares Marc Fancy, Executive Director of Prudence Foundation.

Download the Cha-Ching Kid$ at Home modules and give your kids the gift of financial wisdom this Christmas. Access them on chaching.cartoonnetworkasia.com/en/. For more information, visit the Pru Life UK website at prulifeuk.com.ph or the Facebook page at facebook.com/prulifeukofficial.