Disclosure :: This post is sponsored and genuinely written from my own experience.
Five Reasons to Visit Your Local Credit Union
#1 :: It’s Never Too Early To Learn
Who says finances are just for adults? I say no way jose! I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say that because I know many other 
parents who also wish there was more implementation of life skills and finances throughout elementary and high school (Home Ec, anyone?) Balancing a check book? What’s that? It was something we had to learn to do “back in the day” to keep track of bank accounts…y’all remember that! Of course as parents, we will strive to teach our kids about these skills but how about actually bringing them to a local credit union to see how the process works? That’s what we did recently! We visited Pelican State Credit Union where, as I like to say, “everybody knows your name!” These folks take pride in getting to know their members and treat them like family. We decided to open a Team Pelican Youth Savings account and found out some neat things that make this credit union incredibly kid-friendly.
#2 :: First-hand Experience Is Best
The importance of visiting a place such as Pelican State Credit Union is quite simple: it allows for children to have the chance to 
directly engage in the process. They truly love kids here! You can bring currency from assorted coins to cash for deposit. Don’t want to count the coins? Don’t worry, there’s a coin machine that can count the change for you (what kid doesn’t love throwing coins into a machine that “eats the money”). The child then gets to go make a deposit on their own, learn their existing balance and see the fruits of their savings labor. Some kids are saving just to save while others have certain goals in mind like taking a trip or buying a new toy. After making their deposit and receiving a receipt, they are allotted a certain amount of tokens that can be brought to a prize machine to win great items like dollar bills, tattoos, stickers or bracelets. I could see the pride in my child knowing that he is doing this on his own.
#3 :: Learning How To Manage Money IS a Life Skill
Since I have a five-year-old, the way that he saves money is by keeping some of his holiday or birthday money. Especially if he has a certain item in mind, we simply have to save for it. He doesn’t get to walk into a store and buy whatever he wants. Now, sure, have I given him something fun on occasion? YES! But when he gets his mind set on wanting something, the goal is to teach him to save his money for it and learn the value in doing so. Older kids can earn money doing chores, babysitting and small jobs like yard work, etc. The point is that learning to save money can literally be done at ANY age!
#4 :: Builds Confidence and Trust
Isn’t it nice to walk into a place that knows your family by name? As we know, children will see all that we are modeling for them and they want to do what they see their parents doing! This is one thing they can really participate in at any age with people who are trustworthy. Learning how to manage finances can help build their confidence as well. It’s great to set goals and experience the result of achieving them!
#5 :: Get Set Up For The Future
Since we know what lies ahead in this thing called life (surprises, school, living expenses…the list goes on!), I’m glad that we have a place like Pelican State Credit Union. They have made this experience engaging and fun for the whole family! As parents, we are trying to pave a path for our children that we hope will teach them responsibility and independence. Here’s to hoping for some great lessons learned for the future!
