Programs

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students in grades K-12 about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.

Our programs help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Students put these lessons into action and learn the value of contributing to their communities.

JA's unique approach allows volunteers from the community to deliver our curriculum while sharing their experiences with students. Embodying the heart of JA, our classroom volunteers transform the key concepts of our lessons into a message that inspires and empowers students to believe in themselves, showing them they can make a difference in the world.

Elementary School Programs Overview

The elementary school programs include six sequential themes for kindergarten through fifth-grade students and two capstone experiences. Students learn the basic concepts of business and economics and how education is relevant to the workplace. The sequential activities build on studies from each preceding grade and prepare students for secondary school and lifelong learning.

Middle Grades Programs Overview

Junior Achievement has several highly effective programs for middle grades students that reinforce the value of workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Students are introduced to many economic concepts and useful facts about the working world.

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.

High School Programs Overview

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.

With a range of different programs, Junior Achievement teaches about concepts relating to entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness. The volunteers bring real-life business experience and guidance into the classroom at a time that represents an essential crossroads for young people.