Junior Achievement Elementary Programs

Ourselves

Story time and small children. JA uses compelling stories about helping, working, earning, and saving along with hands-on activities to engage the students. The program is 30 minutes a week for 5 weeks.
Ourselves introduces JA kindergarten students to the economic roles of individuals.

Small children like to do things by themselves. But as children grow, they discover that our society--our economy--depends on people working together. And it all starts with the people with whom we live. JA volunteers use a combination of pictures, stickers, and flashcards to engage students in activities about needs and wants, jobs, tools and skills, and interdependence. The program is 30 minutes a week for 5 weeks.
Our Families discusses the role of families in the local economy with JA first graders in order to explore how the interdependance of societal systems and the economy.

What lies beyond your front door? Let’s explore it! JA volunteers display a poster of a typical community, and the students meet some of the people who live and work there. Through hands-on activities, the students learn about workers, the work they perform, why workers are paid, what taxes are and how they are used, and where to save money. The program is 30 minutes a week for 5 weeks.
Our Community examines responsibilities and economic opportunities available within a community.

A city is a place where a lot of people live, work, play, and go to school. So JA classroom volunteers help students build a city! The students construct paper buildings, map out a city, write newspaper articles, plan their own restaurants, and examine why banks are important. The program is 45 minutes a week for 5 weeks.
Our City considers economic development, local businesses, and career opportunities.

Where does grocery store produce come from? Who grew the fruits and vegetables? How did they get there? In this program students discover the natural, human, and capital resources in their home states and in regions of the United States. JA classroom volunteers show how resources are combined to create goods and services that individuals, businesses, and organizations provide to consumers. The program is 45 minutes a week for 5 weeks.
Our Region explains the economic/business resources found in state and regional economies.

It’s all about U.S. business. In this in-depth and action-packed program, students role play business ownership, interview for jobs, produce a product using different methods of production, create product advertisements, and conduct an annual stockholders’ meeting. The program is 45 minutes a week for 5 weeks.
Our Nation studies business operations and economic issues in the United States.