JA Programs
All JA curriculum is listed below. If desired, you can filter by first selecting a grade level, then a pathway.
Learn How You Can VolunteerJA 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) JA Ourselves offers flexible implementation options to meet the needs of students and teachers in a variety of use cases. 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 includes five 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.
JA Our City® introduces third-grade students to financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and grade-level social studies learning objectives, including how people manage their money and the importance of economic exchange within a city. (Grade 3) LEARNING EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS -- A flexible model designed to support multiple learning environments -- Five 45-minute sessions -- Experiential, engaging in-class activities that support learning objectives, including digital and physical board games, mapping activities, and role-plays -- School-to-home activities that extend the lessons from the classroom to students’ families and their own communities -- Elementary-appropriate content in financial literacy with entrepreneurship woven throughout -- A fun sing-along video to get students up and moving in the classroom, while reinforcing financial literacy concepts.
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) JA Our Region offers flexible implementation options to meet the needs of students and teachers in a variety of use cases. It includes five 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) JA Our Nation offers flexible implementation options to meet the needs of students and teachers in a variety of use cases. It includes five 45-minute sessions and one optional supplemental session, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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 More than Money® introduces students to financial literacy and entrepreneurship, and to social studies learning objectives that include money-management skills, goods and services, and global markets. Through hands-on activities and a JA cast of characters serving as symbols for financial literacy and entrepreneurship concepts, students will learn a practical approach to starting a business and making smart decisions about managing money. (Grades 3-5) JA More than Money offers flexible implementation options to meet the needs of students and teachers in a variety of use cases. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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)
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 It’s My Future® offers middle school students practical information to help prepare them for the working world. Students explore career resources to develop the 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 Career Success® is an engaging and comprehensive learning experience that introduces high school students to the workplace. As interns, students participate in realistic work experiences in multiple departments of a fictional company, Orbit Boom. The learning experience teaches soft skills and business best practices in the context of scenarios and assignments. The learning experience consists of seven 45-minute sessions and 10 optional sessions. (Grades 9-12)
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 Economics® is a one-semester course that connects high school students to the economic principles that influence their daily lives as well as their futures. (Grades 11-12) This course has received California A-G approval from High School Articulation, Office of Undergraduate Admissions, University of California.
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)
