JA Programs
All JA curriculum is listed below. If desired, you can filter by first selecting a grade level, then a pathway.
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JA BizTown combines in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town. This popular learning experience allows elementary school students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor. Students are able to connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world. (Grades 4-6)
JA Finance Park is Junior Achievement’s capstone program for personal financial planning and career exploration. At the culmination of this teacher-led program, students visit JA Finance Park, a realistic on-site or virtual community, to put into practice what they've learned by developing and committing to a personal budget. (Grades 7-9)
JA Company Program empowers high school students to fill a need or solve a problem in their community and teaches them practical skills required to conceptualize, capitalize, and manage their own business venture. (Grades 9-12)
This program is administered by JA of Central Maryland
JA Rising Women inspires young women to open their minds to new opportunities and fuel the entrepreneurial spirit. This unique program provides real-world experiences designed to instill leadership skills, as well as build business knowledge and strengthen workplace readiness.
JA Job Shadow is a comprehensive experience that helps students design an individualized career path. Supporting blended as well as self-guided activities, JA Job Shadow provides a design-thinking structure for career exploration. (Grades 9-12) The program includes six 45-minute sessions and two opportunities for site visits with flexible implementation options based on local needs.
JA Inspire Entry is more than a career fair: It brings together the business community and local schools and is designed to help launch middle school students into their future—high school, college, and careers beyond. The program consists of three segments: (1) pre-event career-oriented sessions; (2) the JA Inspire event, and (3) a post-event reflection. The JA Inspire event (in-person, virtual, or both) provides students a powerful way to learn about real-world career opportunities and their local economy. Education Level: Middle School
JA It's My Job (Soft Skills) will help students understand the value of professional communication and soft skills, making them more employable to future employers across multiple career clusters. (Grades 6-12) The program includes six 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
JA Our Community uses posters and games to offer practical information about businesses and the many jobs those businesses offer in a community. Students explore production methods through a simulation game, and they learn about taxes, decision making, and how money flows in an economy. (Grade 2) This volunteer-led, kit-based learning experience is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
Through engaging activities, JA It’s My Business! Blended Model provides middle school students an opportunity to experience the initial steps necessary to start a business. New program content provides an authentic entrepreneurial experience for students, with each session building up to a product-pitch competition. (Grades 6-8) The program includes six 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
JA Personal Finance allows students to experience the interrelationship between today’s financial decisions and future financial freedom. To achieve financial health and wellness, they learn about money-management strategies, including earning, employment and income, budgeting, savings, credit and debt, consumer protection, smart shopping, risk management, investing, credit card usage, debt management, and net worth. (Grades 9-12) The program consists of eight 45-minute sessions with 3 additional modular sessions.
JA Our Community immerses students in the daily life of their community—the people who work there, the money decisions they make, the flow of the community’s economy, and the importance of being involved and responsible community members. (Grade 2) It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
JA BizTown Self Guided (Adventures) is a culminating experience for students that follows the JA BizTown curriculum. Students gain an understanding of various aspects of running a business as they take on the roles of chief executive officer, chief financial officer, marketing director, sales manager, and consumer via five online, self-guided adventures. (Grades 4-6)
JA It’s My Future Blended Model offers middle school students practical information to help prepare them for the working world. Students will develop the personal-branding and job-hunting skills needed to earn a job. (Grades 6-8) The program includes six 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
JA Our Nation provides practical information about the need for employees who can meet the demands of the 21st century job market, particularly high-growth, high-demand jobs. Students will understand the skills, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math, that will make their futures brighter. (Grade 5) This volunteer-led, kit-based learning experience is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions and one optional supplemental session, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
JA Ourselves uses storybook characters in read-aloud and hands-on activities to introduce the role people play in an economy. Through engaging, volunteer-led activities, young students learn about individual choices, money, the importance of saving and giving, and the value of work. (Kindergarten) This volunteer-led, kit-based learning experience is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
JA Our Region introduces students to entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurs use resources to produce goods and services in a region. Students operate a hypothetical hot dog stand to understand the fundamental tasks performed by a business owner and to track the revenue and expenses of a business. (Grade 4) This volunteer-led, it-based learning experience is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
JA Our Families explains how family members' jobs and businesses contribute to the well-being of the family and of the community. The learning experience introduces the concept of needs and wants and explores the ways families plan for and acquire goods and services. Students analyze their own skills to determine ways they can support their families. (Grade 1) The learning experience is available in Classroom-Based and Remote Classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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JA Finance Park Virtual includes a virtual culminating experience for students who have completed the educator-led curriculum. Students put into practice what they've learned by developing and committing to a personal budget. The JA Finance Park Virtual simulation has been fully redeveloped, with a brand-new experience that offers two implementation options: entry level for middle school students and advanced for high school students. (Grades 7-12)
JA Our City featuring Cha-Ching introduces students to financial literacy and learning objectives for third–grade social studies, including how people manage their money and the importance of economic exchange within a city. (Grade 3) This learning experience is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout. Spanish translation is available for JA Our City.
In JA Career Speakers Series, a volunteer guest speaker visits the classroom and shares information about his or her career, work, and education experience. (Grades K-12)
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JA Company Program Pop Up teaches students how to plan, launch, and operate their own business venture within a structured, guided experience. Throughout the start-up process, students collaborate, make crucial business decisions, practice communication skills, and develop entrepreneurial knowledge and skills. (Grades 6-12)
JA Job Shadow Blended Model is a comprehensive experience that helps students design an individualized career path. Supporting blended as well as self-guided activities, JA Job Shadow provides a design-thinking structure for career exploration. (Grades 9-12) The program includes six 45-minute sessions and two opportunities for site visits with flexible implementation options based on local needs.
