UMPQUA Bank expands Financial Literacy program to serve families, teachers and kids

Portland, Ore. – Oct. 29, 2012 – Umpqua Bank has developed a comprehensive financial literacy program available to parents, teachers and children throughout Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada. Called Learn to Earn, the program inherits its name from the bank’s existing on-campus banking program for students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. The enhanced program offers parents, teachers and children a full suite of financial literacy resources, including: easy to implement financial literacy tips for children in preschool to fifth grade, savings products to help parents and children save together, a kid-friendly savings calculator, and recommended reading lists that encourage responsible money management through storytelling.

 

Based online at www.umpquabank.com/learntoearn, Umpqua Bank’s Learn to Earn program is free to the public and will be updated regularly to provide new financial literacy tips and resources for parents. Additionally, Learn to Earn tools are available in all Umpqua Bank stores where parents – customers and non-customers alike – are encouraged to bring their children to learn about personal finance and banking firsthand.

“Establishing responsible personal finance habits is a lifelong lesson, one that’s most effective when learned at a young age,” said Colleen Toste, assistant vice president and director of Learn to Earn for Umpqua Bank. “We understand that children are growing up in a complex world and recognized the need for a comprehensive program that supports parents, teachers and children. We’re very pleased to introduce these enhanced tools and resources through Learn to Earn.”

According to the Council for Economic Education (CEE), only 13 states require students to take a personal finance course to graduate from high school, and many parents and teachers feel ill-equipped to teach children about finance.

In addition to its in-store and at-home financial literacy resources, Umpqua Bank plans to rollout a Learn to Earn curriculum for elementary schools later this year. The financial literacy curriculum, which will be available for educators to download free of charge, is intended to help prepare teachers to incorporate personal finance instruction into their existing lesson plans. Umpqua associates will also be available to teach the curriculum at schools through the company’s Connect Volunteer Program, which provides each associate with up to 40 hours of paid time off to volunteer.    

About Umpqua Bank

Umpqua Bank, headquartered in Roseburg, Ore., is a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation with locations between San Francisco and Seattle, along the Oregon and Northern California Coast, and in Central Oregon and Northern Nevada. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for the past six years in a row on FORTUNE magazine’s list of the country’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.” Umpqua Holdings also owns a retail brokerage subsidiary, Umpqua Investments Inc., which offers services through Umpqua Bank stores and in dedicated offices throughout Oregon. Umpqua’s Wealth Management Division serves high net worth individuals and nonprofits by providing customized financial solutions and offerings. Umpqua Holdings Corporation is headquartered in Portland, Ore. For more information, visit http://www.umpquabank.com.