JA Programs
All JA curriculum is listed below. If desired, you can filter by first selecting a grade level, then a focus area.
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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 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 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 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.
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 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)
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 BizTown combines in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town. This popular program allows elementary school students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor. The program helps students connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world.
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)
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)
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)
JA Global Marketplace Blended Model introduces students to the global marketplace and the ways in which countries buy and sell from each other. Through completion of this program, students will gain an understanding of producers and consumers in the interconnected global market. (Grades 6-8)
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 programs to virtual programs 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 and are available for parents/families and educators.
Mission Fed JA Finance Park is a paperless, high-tech learning center that helps students imagine their future through participation in a budgeting simulation. Our program helps thousands of San Diego teens, young adults and families learn how to make intelligent financial decisions that will last a lifetime. The traditional, blended, and PBL programs includes in-class curriculum and a one day capstone experience at Mission fed JA Finance Park. JA Finance Park helps students imagine who they want to be and gives them hands-on tools and skills to plan for a financially secure future.
JA for Everyone is a 4-hour personal budgeting simulation designed to help participants understand the link between lifestyle, education, career, and the management of personal finances in an interactive environment. JA for Everyone at JA Finance Park encourages participants to explore what it takes to balance a budget and manage a life in sunny San Diego and beyond. Participants must be 12 years or older. All sessions take place from 9:00am-1:00pm. There are no more JA For Everyone sessions in 2020! Please check back soon for our 2021 dates. Due to high demand, no refunds or rescheduling are permitted. Dates with low enrollment will be given refund or reschedule options if necessary.
The JA Personal Management Merit Badge workshop series is a Scout approved program designed to help Scouts achieve the necessary skills and knowledge to obtain their Personal Management Merit Badge. Scouts attend three workshop sessions over a 90+ day time frame to complete all the required documentation, application, and citation for completion of the Personal Management Merit Badge requirements. The program includes classroom style instruction, the Mission Fed JA Finance Park budgeting simulation, and a counselor day for Scouts to defend their 90 day budget and financial literacy knowledge.
In partnership with Girl Scouts of San Diego, we offer the following badge workshops in entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work-readiness. Please visit the "Girl Scouts of San Diego Badge Workshops" tab to the left for information on each badge workshop and other program details.
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)
JA Be Entrepreneurial is a reimagined, modular program that teaches students about the mindset and the skills needed for success by aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators who add value to any organization. In JA Creative Problem Solving, students learn and apply design thinking, an innovative process for problem solving used by entrepreneurs (and intrapreneurs) to brainstorm customer-centric ideas. (Grades 9-12)
JA Be Entrepreneurial is a reimagined, modular program that teaches students about the mindset and the skills needed for success by aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators who add value to any organization. In JA Think Like an Entrepreneur, students develop a mindset that enables opportunity identification, innovation, value creation, and problem solving. (Grades 9-12)
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)
JA Titan Blended Model is a simulation-based program in which high school students compete as business CEOs in the phone industry, experiencing firsthand how an organization evaluates alternatives, makes decisions, analyzes the outcomes of those decisions, and then strategizes what to do next. (Grades 9-12)
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)
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)
JA Launch Lesson is a point-of-entry program delivered by community entrepreneurs. Students gain firsthand knowledge about starting a business and the entrepreneurial journey. (Grades 9-12)
JA Financial Literacy is a one-semester teacher-led course that equips high school students with foundational personal finance skills.(Grades 9-12)
JA Economics Blended 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)
Through JA Take Stock in Your Future, students discover the benefits and challenges of investing in the stock market as part of a broader, long-term investment strategy and the risks and rewards of trading.
JA Entrepreneurial Mindset is a one-semester teacher-led course that introduces high school students to the basics of starting a business. (Grades 9-12)
JA Introduction to Business and Technology 1 is a one-semester teacher-led course that introduces high school students to the basic skills necessary to succeed in business. Themes include teamwork, innovation, decision making, and ethics. (Grades 9-12)
JA Introduction to Business and Technology 2 is a one-semester teacher-led course that introduces high school students to the basic skills necessary to succeed in business. Themes include personal skills like innovation, management functions, and accounting. (Grades 9-12)
JA Business Communications is a one-semester teacher-led course that equips high school students to focus on communication skills necessary to succeed in business. (Grades 9-12)
Through JA Excellence through Ethics, students will learn the importance of ethics and ethical decision-making and how ethical and unethical choices affect everyone in a community. (Grades 6-12)
San Diego offers several “camp” opportunities during the year. JA camps utilize Junior Achievement national, regional, and locally developed curriculum. JA Camps focus on one or more of the JA pillars of focus: Entrepreneurship, Workforce Preparedness, and Financial Literacy.
JA Be Entrepreneurial is a reimagined, modular program that teaches students about the mindset and the skills needed for success by aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators who add value to any organization. In JA Rapid Business Planning, students learn about the Lean Model Canvas, the strategic management template for developing business models. (Grades 9-12)
