Junior Achievement Of San Diego County

EMPOWER YOUTH BY TEACHING THEM HOW TO GET A JOB, START A BUSINESS AND MANAGE MONEY.

THE MCGRATH FAMILY JA BIZ-TOWN IS A 10,000 SQ. FOOT MINI-CITY IN WHICH KIDS DISCOVER HOW THE "REAL WORLD" WORKS. SAN DIEGO COUNTY 5TH GRADERS BECOME JA BIZTOWN "CITIZENS" WHERE THEY WORK IN ONE OF 21 LIFE-SIZED SAN DIEGO BUSINESSES, MAKE FINANCIAL DECISIONS, PAY TAXES AND DONATE TO CHARITY. AFTER FOUR WEEKS OF CLASSROOM LESSONS, STUDENTS COME TO JA BIZTOWN FOR THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE OF THEIR LIVES. EACH CITIZEN HAS A JOB FOR THE DAY, GETS PAID TWICE, MANAGES A CHECKING ACCOUNT, SHOPS, GETS HEALTH CHECK-UPS, MAY BE INTERVIEWED ON TV AND MUCH MORE. THE TIME SPENT AT JA BIZTOWN MAY BE ONLY ONE DAY, BUT THE IMPACT THAT THIS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROVIDES WILL LAST A LIFETIME. THE TOTAL STUDENT VISITORS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR WAS 14,670.

MISSION FED JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT FINANCE PARK UTILIZES THE MOST CURRENT TECHNOLOGY TO TEACH TEENS HOW TO MAKE INTELLIGENT, INFORMED FINANCIAL AND CAREER DECISIONS THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME. STUDENTS TAKE A CAREER ASSESSMENT, SELECT A JOB FROM THE CAREER CENTER AND THEN GO THROUGH SEVERAL DECISION MAKING EXERCISES TO CREATE A PERSONAL BUDGET FOR THE PERSONA THEY ARE ASSIGNED FOR THE DAY. THE TOTAL STUDENT VISITORS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR WAS 2,387.

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN-CLASSROOM PROGRAMS REACH YOUNG PEOPLE IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE WITH ENGAGING, EXPERIENTIAL PROGRAMS BASED UPON OUR THREE PILLARS OF STUDENT SUCCESS: WORK READINESS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FINANCIAL LITERACY. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM: ENGAGING THEMES HELP K-5 STUDENTS LEARN ECONOMIC CONCEPTS THROUGH THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM. MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM: HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT REINFORCE THE VALUE OF GLOBAL WORKFORCE READINESS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY. THESE PROGRAMS BUILD ON CONCEPTS STUDENTS LEARNED IN JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS, AND HELP PRE-TEENS MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT HOW TO BEST PREPARE FOR THEIR EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL FUTURE. HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM: HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS HELP STUDENTS MAKE INFORMED, INTELLIGENT DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR FUTURE AND FOSTER SKILLS THAT WILL BE USEFUL IN THE BUSINESS WORLD. WITH A RANGE OF PROGRAMS, JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT TEACHES ABOUT CONCEPTS RELATING TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP, FINANCIAL LITERACY AND GLOBAL WORKFORCE READINESS. THE VOLUNTEERS BRING REAL-LIFE BUSINESS EXPERIENCE AND GUIDANCE INTO THE CLASSROOM AT A TIME THAT REPRESENTS AN ESSENTIAL CROSSROADS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. GIVEN THE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES ACCOMPANYING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE IMMEDIATE NEED TO ADDRESS THE ECONOMIC INEQUITY IN OUR COMMUNITIES, WE HAVE TRANSFORMED OUR TRADITIONAL IN-CLASS, EXPERIENTIAL PROGRAMS TO VIRTUAL OPTIONS SO THAT WE CAN STILL ENABLE STUDENTS THROUGHOUT SAN DIEGO TO FIND THEIR FUTURE SUCCESS. OUR VIRTUAL PROGRAMS INCLUDE INTERACTIVE LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT WITH JA STAFF, VOLUNTEERS AND MENTORS FROM THE SD BUSINESS COMMUNITY. HIGH SCHOOL AMBASSADOR PROGRAM - PROVIDING FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCAL ECONOMY, PERSONAL FINANCES, CAREER PATHWAYS, AND WORK-READINESS. IN CONCERT WITH SAN DIEGO BUSINESS LEADERS, JA'S AMBASSADOR PROGRAM CREATES A PLATFORM FOR PARTICIPANTS TO GAIN THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO THRIVE IN SAN DIEGO'S ECONOMY. JA'S AMBASSADOR PROGRAM IS A 3-MONTH COHORT-STYLE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE CONNECTING THEM TO BUSINESS MENTORS WHO CAN CREATE ACCESS TO SD'S CAREER PIPELINES. VIRTUAL PROGRAMS FOR TEACHER IMPLEMENTATION: JA HAS VIRTUAL CURRICULUM AVAILABLE FOR ALL GRADES, KINDER TO 12TH, THAT ALIGN WITH COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR FINANCIAL LITERACY, AND 21ST CENTURY SKILLS. WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU WITH PROGRAMMING THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AT HOME.