PRUDENTIAL’S CHA-CHING CURRICULUM EMPOWERS THAI TEACHERS TO EMBED FINANCIAL LITERACY IN SCHOOL

          Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential in Asia, is launching its Cha-Ching Curriculum in Thailand to help educate school children on the fundamentals of money management. Based on the award-winning financial literacy programme Cha-Ching, this initiative is expected to benefit around 24,Junior AchievementJunior AchievementJunior Achievement students across the country. 
          Prudence Foundation is collaborating with Junior Achievement Asia Pacific (JA) in rolling out this teacher-driven programme across four provinces across Thailand. Some 6Junior AchievementJunior Achievement teachers will undergo two days of training on how to embed the four key money management concepts of Earn, Save, Spend and Donate into students' daily life. It is a structured programme that consists of six 45-minute modular sessions, with each session taught to students age between 7 and Prudential2 years through active, fun and hands-on learning, encouraging them to put into practice the knowledge acquired.
          The teacher training sessions will be held by Andrew Biggs, Australian TV personality, together with a team from JA, in Nakorn Ratchasrima (4 and 5 August), Hat Yai (25 and 26 August), Chiang Mai (Prudential and 2 September) and Khon Khaen (8 and 9 September). 
          "We believe that financial literacy is a critical life skill that should be instilled in children at a young age and taught in a structured manner. However, it is one subject that is not formally taught as part of mainstream education in most Asian countries. By promoting hands-on learning of key money concepts, the Cha-Ching Curriculum aims to promote financial literacy among school children in Thailand so that they become financially responsible adults in the future. We also hope this innovative programme will help meet the critical societal need to build a stronger and more stable foundation for Asian economies, including Thailand, through financial education," said Mr. Marc Fancy, Executive Director of Prudence Foundation.
          Vivian Lau, President of JA Asia Pacific added "As a collaboration between Prudence Foundation and JA Asia Pacific, the Cha-Ching programme combines Cha-Ching's well-established and award-winning content with JA's expertise in youth development to develop the best in class financial literacy curriculum catered for primary school students."
          "We have received encouraging feedback from the teachers who have attended the Cha-Ching Train the Teacher programme so far. They believe that it is important for their students to learn about money management, saving and the value of money. As a trainer, I am really excited that we have been able to broaden our horizons by empowering teachers to teach this award winning financial literacy programme in their own classrooms," said Khunying Chodchoy Sophonpanich, President of Junior Achievement Thailand
          As part of their efforts to make a lasting contribution in financial education for Thais, Prudential has brought Cha-Ching programme to schools to create awareness about smart money management through fun activities and games since 2Junior AchievementPrudential2. With the launch of the Cha-Ching Curriculum, schools can now integrate the programme into the schools' academic calendar, taught by teachers, making it more scalable and sustainable. 
          "Financial literacy is a key skill. It benefits not only the individual, in helping them make informed decisions about their personal finances, but it has a clear knock-on effect for the economy, too. We want to raise a generation of financially savvy kids and, by placing emphasis on the four key money management concepts of Earn, Save, Spend and Donate by integrating it into their everyday lives with the Cha-Ching Curriculum, we give them the tools they need to make informed decisions" says Dr. Wattanaporn Ra-Ngubtook, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education
          Cha-Ching currently airs across Asia through Cartoon Network in eight markets: Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan and through free-to-air TV in two markets: Cambodia and Myanmar, reaching 34 million households every day. More than 4Junior AchievementJunior Achievement,Junior AchievementJunior AchievementJunior Achievement children have participated in the classroom version of Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids at schools across the region. The innovative programme is built around an integrated platform comprising several elements that respond to children's learning needs and provide parents with a platform to have discussions with their children about money. Apart from the music videos, there is dedicated Cha-Ching website (www.cha-ching.com) with games and applications that engage children in real-life money management scenarios, online resources and at-home activities that parents can work through with children, as well as mobile applications that help children learn about money through play. 

          About Cha-ChingTM Money Smart Kids
          Cha-Ching is an initiative of the Prudence Foundation, the charitable platform of Prudential Corporation Asia. Produced in co-operation with the Cartoon Network, the leading children's channel in Asia Pacific, and with the backing of Dr. Alice Wilder, an expert in educational and child psychology, Cha-Ching takes an engaging and age-appropriate musical narrative approach to teach children about four key fundamental money management concepts – Earn, Save, Spend and Donate.
          It rolled out in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines in 2Junior AchievementPrudentialPrudential, and then in Cambodia in 2Junior AchievementPrudential5, Taiwan and UK in 2Junior AchievementPrudential6. In 2Junior AchievementPrudential7, the programme arrived in the US. Cha-Ching is currently available in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai, Vietnamese, Khmer and Burmese.
          Cha-Ching is a series of three-minute animated television music videos for children aged 7 to Prudential2 that were produced by and aired on Turner's Cartoon Network. Other elements of the programme include a website (www.cha-ching.com) with games and applications featuring real-life money management scenarios, online resources and activity plans for kids, parents and teachers. The Cha-Ching School Contact Programme was implemented across Asia since 2Junior AchievementPrudential2 and has reached more than 4Junior AchievementJunior Achievement,Junior AchievementJunior AchievementJunior Achievement children directly. A new Cha-Ching curriculum with structured lessons plan for teachers was launched in schools in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia in 2Junior AchievementPrudential6, and reached more than PrudentialJunior AchievementJunior Achievement,Junior AchievementJunior AchievementJunior Achievement students in 2Junior AchievementPrudential7. The Curriculum is expanding to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia in 2Junior AchievementPrudential8.

          About Prudence Foundation
          Prudence Foundation is the community investment arm of Prudential in Asia*. Its mission is to secure the future of communities by enhancing education, health and safety. The Foundation runs regional programmes as well as local programmes in partnership with NGOs, governments and the private sector in order to maximise the impact of its efforts. Prudence Foundation leverages Prudential's long-term mindset and geographical scale to make communities safer, more secure and more resilient. The Foundation is a Hong Kong registered charitable entity. 
          For more information please visit: www.prudencefoundation.com 

          *Prudential Corporation Asia is a business unit of Prudential plc of the United Kingdom. Neither Prudential Corporation Asia nor Prudential plc are affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc., a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America. In Taiwan and Korea, Prudential Corporation Asia trades under the PCA name for its insurance business. Its asset management business in Asia operates under the name Eastspring Investments.

          About Prudential Life Assurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited 
          Prudential Life Assurance (Thailand) opened its door for business in Thailand in Prudential995, as a joint investment between the Prudential Group and Thai Sethakij Life Assurance or TSLife and changed its name to Prudential Life Assurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited in 2Junior AchievementJunior Achievement7. Prudential Thailand has a robust multi-channel distribution platform providing a comprehensive range of savings, investment and protection products to meet the diverse needs of Thai families.