1. JA is no longer simply an after-school activity for high school students.

JA programs are available for children in Kindergarten through Grade 12. And while most of our programs are provided during the school day as part of a regular class, we also provide special programs for young people in after-school settings.

2. JA teaches subjects that are important for students’ success in the world.

JA programs focus on personal financial literacy, job readiness and entrepreneurism, as well as business, economics, civics and ethics. JA offers more than 20 of these programs.

3. Classroom volunteers make JA different from other economic education programs.

A JA program is a powerful experience for young people, not only because of its engaging, well-designed classroom activities, but also because it involves volunteers from business and the community who share their wisdom and life experiences with the students. These volunteers become role models for the young people.

4. JA programs meet state guidelines of what children need to be taught.

All JA programs correlate to state curriculum standards in such areas as math, language arts and social studies. This means that JA does not take children away from their studies. Rather, JA demonstrates why these studies are important in the “real world.”

5. JA provides companies an easy way to have impact in their local communities.

JA works with dozens of companies, ranging from major corporations to small businesses. By allowing their employees to spend time in the classroom, these companies are not only demonstrating their commitment to their communities, they are preparing young people to be ready for the jobs of the future.

6. JA volunteers do not need any previous teaching experience.

JA makes it easy for its volunteers to be successful in the classroom. JA provides a detailed, highly structured guidebook for each volunteer that includes background for each lesson, lesson plans, a glossary of terms and other helpful information. Before going into the classroom, each volunteer receives in-person training from JA staff. In addition, volunteers are never alone in the classroom – teachers are always present to keep order and help the volunteer.

7. JA has a significant impact on students.

Third-party evaluations done by national firms show that students who participate in JA have higher problem-solving and critical-thinking skills than non-JA students. Studies also show that JA positively influences students’ attitudes toward continuing their education and that JA students are significantly more confident about their ability to complete college than students in general.

8. JA is the largest provider of financial literacy programs in Connecticut.

Our organization, Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, last year reached 32,500 students in every Connecticut county, except Fairfield. Two other JA organizations serve Fairfield County, and last year they together reached more than 32,000 young people.

9. JA is a worldwide organization.

Junior Achievement is helping students throughout the world – in every state in the U.S. and nearly 120 nations worldwide. Last year, it reached more than 8.3 million young people across the globe and is one of the fastest growing youth-serving organizations in the world.

10. JA needs your help.

JA’s ability to reach so many children depends on the generosity of individuals who invest their time as classroom volunteers and funders who provide donations that keep our organization operating. Last year we had more than 2,000 volunteers and we raised nearly $1.2 million dollars from corporations, foundations, individuals. We thank all of you who have supported us in the past – and encourage others to join in the effort to prepare young people to be money smart for the future.