School caisse: a project for primary schools
A page of history
What's a school caisse?
Why choose a school caisse?
Kits and activities
A page of history
Alphonse Desjardins established the concept of penny savings in Lévis in 1901. He believed that regular saving habits are best learned in early childhood. Bolstered by the results he achieved, he officially founded the first school caisses in Lévis six years later.
Alphonse Desjardins' aim was to:
- help young people become independent, responsible and competent
- spark their interest in cooperation
- make young people aware of the importance of sound financial management
And so the school caisse was born!
Today, more than 1100 primary schools in Quebec and 100 primary schools in Ontario have an active school caisse, and more than 120,000 students deposit their savings there.
A school caisse works like a cooperative and operates under the authority and supervision of a local Desjardins caisse.
Consult…
Desjardins caisses offer educational kits with collector cards for parents and children who are school caisse members.
These kits are available (in French only) at participating Desjardins caisses. Check it out!
Several caisses also offer schools educational activities for students such as the "Manager for a Day" activity. Ask your local caisse for more information.
The Société historique Alphonse-Desjardins in Lévis also offers other complementary educational activities. For details, call
