Traditional & In-Class JA Programs
JA programming is designed to give young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA's K-12 programs—in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy—ignite the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century.
Junior Achievement’s experiential learning system provides the materials and support for all in-class programs. The JA In A Day program is a format consisting of five to six 45-minute classroom lessons. The JA In A Day Program enables volunteers to present the curriculum in one, five-hour, day. Our trained community volunteers prepare students from kindergarten through 12th grade for the real world by sharing their workforce experience with your students, all while teaching sound economic principles.
Interested in bringing these programs to your classroom? Visit the Request A Program page, or contact an Impact Manager:
Greater New Orleans - Eric Walter - eric@jagno.org | River Parishes - Karla Morris - karla@jagno.org | Northshore - Jess Steelman - jess@jagno.org
Elementary School
JA’s elementary school programs are the foundation of its K-12 curricula. Six sequential themes, each with five hands-on activities, as well as an after-school and capstone experience options, work to change students’ lives by helping them understand business and economics.
JA Ourselves
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)
JA Our Families
JA Our Families® explains how family members' jobs and businesses contribute to the well-being of the family and of the community. The program 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)
JA Our Community
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)
JA Our City
JA Our City® introduces students to the characteristics of cities and how cities are shaped by zoning. Students also learn about the importance of money to a city; how financial institutions help businesses and city residents; and how the media is an integral part of a city's life. Students learn the role of an entrepreneur by exploring what it takes to open a restaurant. (Grade 3)
JA Our Region
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 Nation
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. By program's end, students will understand the skills, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math, that will make their futures brighter. (Grade 5)
Middle School
The middle grades programs build on concepts the students learned in Junior Achievement’s elementary school program and help teens make difficult decisions about how to best prepare for their educational and professional future. The programs supplement standard social studies curricula and develop communication skills that are essential to success in the business world.
JA Economics for Success
JA Economics for Success® gives students the information needed to build strong personal finances, a cornerstone to a happy, secure life. Students learn the importance of exploring career options based on their skills, interests, and values. They also learn about spending money within a budget; saving and investing wisely; and using credit cautiously. (Grades 6-8)
JA Finance Park
JA Finance Park® is a month-long program that introduces students to 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. Learn more about Finance Park by clicking here! (Middle School and High School)
JA Global Marketplace
JA Global Marketplace® takes students on a spin around the world. Students learn the products they use every day, like their backpacks and sneakers, might use raw material from one country, be assembled in another, and sold from Peking to Chicago. The program helps students understand how goods flow through various economies and the effect globalization has on their lives. (Grades 6-8)
JA It’s My Business
JA It's My Business!® encourages students to use critical thinking to learn entrepreneurial skills. Those skills include knowing customers' wants and needs, launching effective marketing, and creating detailed business plans. By examining the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, students learn that a belief in one's self can make positive things happen in life. (Grades 6-8)
JA It’s My Future
JA It’s My Future® provides practical information about preparing for the working world. Students learn about career clusters, high-growth jobs, career planning, and creating a personal brand. And, through a scavenger hunt, they are introduced to the basic aspects of job hunting. (Grades 6-8)
JA Job Shadow
JA Job Shadow prepares students to be entrepreneurial thinkers in their approach to work. In-class sessions prepare students for a visit to a professional work environment, where they will face a series of challenges administered by their workplace hosts. Students learn how to research career opportunities and the skills needed to land and keep their dream job. (Middle and High School)
High School
As high school students begin to position themselves for their future, there are many unanswered questions about what lies ahead. Junior Achievement’s high school programs help students make informed, intelligent decisions about their future, and fosters skills that will be highly useful in the business world.
JA Be Entrepreneurial
JA Be Entrepreneurial® challenges students, through interactive classroom activities, to start their own entrepreneurial venture while still in high school. The program provides useful, practical content to assist teens in the transition from being students to productive, contributing members of society. (Grades 9-12)
JA Career Success
JA Career Success equips students with the knowledge required to get and keep a job in high-growth industries. Students will explore the crucial workplace skills employers seek but often find lacking in young employees. Students also will learn about valuable tools to find that perfect job, including resumes, cover letters, and interviewing techniques. (Grades 9-12)
JA Company Program
JA Company Program unlocks the innate ability in high school students to fill a need or solve a problem in their community by launching a business venture and unleashing their entrepreneurial spirit. The program focuses on Company Ops, the majority of meeting time, where students build and manage their business. Meeting-specific, student-friendly materials and resources increase student interaction and emphasize JA’s experiential approach to learning. (Grades 9-12)
JA Economics
JA Economics® reinforces concepts of micro- and macro-economics by having students explore the basic characteristics of the U.S. economic system and how economic principles influence business decisions. It also introduces students to consumer issues, such as saving, investing, and taxation. (Grades 11-12)
JA Exploring Economics
JA Exploring Economics® uses hands-on activities to explain complex economic concepts such as supply and demand, inflation, and the production, distribution and consumption of goods. It gives insight into the effect governments and individuals have on the global economy— and on the price of a loaf of bread. (Grades 9-12)
JA Personal Finance
JA Personal Finance® explores the fundamental elements of personal finances: earnings, saving and investing, budgeting, credit, risk management, and giving. Students apply these elements to a personal financial plan that allows them to set specific goals for their lifelong financial needs and desired quality of life. (Grades 9-12)