JA Introduces Two New Programs

Author: JA Lincoln
Financial Literacy
Published: Monday, 02 Aug 2021

Sharing

Image caption: JA Biztown

Junior Achievement is excited to announce two exciting capstone experiences for students! If you’re an educator, we hope you’ll consider adding these experiences to your classroom.

JA BizTown Adventures and JA Finance Park Virtual are two experiential learning opportunities that allow students to practice the skills needed to be successful adults. Each program is a ready-made experiential learning project that will provide students the chance to practice problem solving, decision making, critical thinking and analytical thinking, as well as weigh saving and spending choices, consider risk management and insurance strategies, and make personal and business-related financial decisions.

The combination of these programs can be used to create a financial literacy pathway through multiple touchpoints with Junior Achievement’s hands-on, experiential programs.

JA BizTown Adventures

Kids are CEO for the day and learn first-hand how money moves in the economy!

JA Online Adventures for JA BizTown is a culminating experience for students that follows the JA BizTown curriculum. Available to fourth, fifth or sixth graders, students will gain an understanding of various aspects of how an economy works as they run a business and take on the roles of chief executive officer, chief financial officer, marketing director, sales manager, and consumer via five online adventures.

The JA BizTown curriculum provides educators with 12 core lessons that effectively integrate financial literacy and work and career readiness into the classroom. The program supports critical thinking skills and student engagement and helps students connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world.

96% of teachers stated that the JA curriculum helps prepare students to be successful in the future.
91% of teachers stated that the JA curriculum exposes students to new career possibilities
98% of teachers stated that the JA curriculum connects what students learn in the classroom with the outside world and their future.

JA Finance Park Virtual

Students learn how to budget in a fun, interactive simulation!

JA Finance Park helps students build a foundation upon which they can make intelligent financial decisions that last a lifetime, including decisions related to income, expenses, savings, and credit. The experience culminates in a hands-on, online budgeting simulation where students will get to practice budgeting as an adult. The JA Finance Park Virtual simulation offers two implementation options:

In the Entry Level (geared toward 7th or 8th grades) students will:

Be introduced to the concept of “adulting,” laying the groundwork for their future.
Create a monthly budget based on a randomly assigned life persona

In the Advanced Level (geared toward high school) students will:

Choose their own “adult adventure” by selecting their persona based on career and education choices
Deep dive into financial consequences of life choices and decisions impacting long-term goals.
Navigate financial decisions through various life stages and budgets beyond one month.

- 90% of teachers strongly agreed that the simulation connects academic learning to real life; it shows how today's choices affect the future.
- 87% of teachers Agreed or Strongly Agreed that every student should have the simulation experience
- 83% of teachers agreed that the program boosted confidence in the use of good money management.

If you are interested in bringing either of these Junior Achievement programs to your school, please email Rachel at rmurray@jalincoln.org by September 1.

Here’s to giving more students than ever the tools to build more successful futures!