JA Programs

In JA Career Speaker Series, a volunteer guest speaker visits the classroom and shares information about his or her career, work, and education experience. The speaker may bring props, work samples, or other visuals to help engage students.

Following participation in the learning experience, students will be able to:

• Identify skills and interests.
• Recognize career clusters.
• Practice active listening skills.

JA Career Speaker Series is part of the JA Work and Career Readiness Pathway and can be placed in grades K–12. The learning experience is available in classroom based, remote synchronous, recorded video, or after-school/out-of-school Implementation. Activities and implementation design vary based on grade level.

JA teachers and volunteers are encouraged, as part of this learning experience, to utilize the resources available in JA Connect® Learning Pathways, located at connect.ja.org. This self-guided experience includes interactives, JA Here to Career™, games and apps for student use.

JA Learning Experiences support national and state standards in reading, mathematics, social studies, and work and career readiness. See below for more information on alignment with national and state standards.

Junior Achievement USA gratefully acknowledges Citi Foundation for its dedication to the development and implementation of JA Career Speaker Series.

JA It's My Future offers students practical information to help prepare them for the working world. Students develop the personal branding and job-hunting skills needed to earn a job.

JA Inspire is recommended for 6th to 8th grades. It’s a volunteer-led program that can be implemented as a classroom-based, remote synchronous, or after-school program. It includes six 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.

JA Global Marketplace Blended Model introduces students to the global marketplace and how countries buy and sell from each other. By completing this program, students understand producers and consumers in the interconnected global market. They analyze the similarities and differences among countries and the effects of free enterprise.

JA Global Marketplace is recommended for 6th to 12th grades. The program is blended, available in classroom-based and remote synchronous implementation. It consists of seven 45-minute sessions and offers two implementation options:

• Basic implementation includes Sessions One–Six delivered by the volunteer.
• Advanced implementation includes Sessions One–Six delivered by the volunteer and Session Seven delivered by the teacher or volunteer.

JA Finance Park is Junior Achievement’s capstone program for personal financial planning and career exploration. This program consists of a curriculum and a simulation, helping students build a foundation on which they can make intelligent financial decisions that last a lifetime, including decisions related to income, expenses, savings, and credit. This program will allow students to engage with volunteers and practice what they’ve learned by developing a personal budget.

JA Finance Park is recommended for 8th to 12th grades. A minimum of 13 lessons is offered in a traditional classroom presentation format, and a project-based learning (PBL) format is available for high school delivery. Both traditional and PBL formats provide educators with a delivery method that best meets their students' needs. JA Finance Park (Entry Level) culminates in a hands-on budgeting simulation implemented at a JA Finance Park facility, mobile unit, or virtual site.

As part of this program, JA teachers and volunteers are encouraged to use the resources available in JA Connect™ Learning Pathways, located at https connect.ja.org. This self-guided experience includes interactives, JA Digital Career Book™, and games and apps for student use.

JA Our Families introduces students to learning objectives for first-grade social studies, including families, neighborhoods, money, and needs and wants. Through hands-on classroom activities, first-grade students will also explore the concept of entrepreneurship, specifically how businesses provide goods, services, and jobs for families.

JA Our Families is recommended for first graders. It’s a volunteer-led, kit-based learning experience available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 30-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.

JA Ourselves introduces students to the intersection of financial literacy and early elementary grades social studies learning objectives. Through hands-on classroom activities, the learning experience provides students with an introduction to personal economics and the choices consumers make to meet their needs and wants. It also introduces students to the role of money in society while providing them with practical information about earning, saving, and sharing money.

JA Ourselves is recommended for kindergartners. It’s a volunteer-led, kit-based learning experience available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 30-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.