JA Programs
All JA curriculum is listed below. If desired, you can filter by first selecting a grade level, then a pathway.
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Career Connections for Young Women is geared to inspire young women to focus on careers, professional goals and financial responsibility. Through a series of ten-session students will participate in a variety of workshops, activities and lessons from one of JA’s most powerful high school curriculum, JA Career Success. In addition, the lessons will be enhanced with experiential learning through industry specific panel discussions, soft skill training and career exploration. This program is aimed to provide young women with practical advice and wisdom about the world of work, from how to get hired to understanding your personal brand.
The Entrepreneurial Academy is a unique opportunity that brings urban and suburban high school students together at a corporate site to gain skills in entrepreneurism, leadership, teamwork, ethics and career development. The focus of the 15-week, 30-hour program will be the development and launching of an actual business, using the “JA Company Program” curriculum. The program has run successfully since its start with The Hartford in 2013. The program has now grown to three sites, The Hartford, Stanley Black & Decker, and Pratt & Whitney partnered with Goodwin University.
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 Rapid Business Planning, students learn about the Lean Model Canvas, the strategic management template for developing business models. (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 Career Success equips students with the knowledge required to get and keep a job in high-growth industries. Students will explore the crucial workplace skills employers seek but often find lacking in young employees. Students also will learn about valuable tools to find that perfect job, including resumes, cover letters, and interviewing techniques. (Grades 9-12)
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 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) The program includes six 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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JA Finance Park Virtual includes a virtual culminating experience for students who have completed the educator-led curriculum. Students put into practice what they've learned by developing and committing to a personal budget. The JA Finance Park Virtual simulation has been fully redeveloped, with a brand-new experience that offers two implementation options: entry level for middle school students and advanced for high school students. (Grades 7-12)
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) The program consists of seven 45-minute sessions.
JA High School Heroes provides leadership development opportunities to high school students who deliver JA programs in elementary schools. (Grades 9-12)
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) The program includes six 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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) The program includes six 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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) The program includes six 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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 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) This volunteer-led, kit-based program can be implemented as a classroom- based, remote classroom, or after- school program. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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. (Grade 3) This volunteer-led, kit-based program is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout. Spanish translation is available for JA Our City.
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) This volunteer-led, kit-based program is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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) The program is volunteer-led and kit-based, and is available in Classroom-Based and Remote Classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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) This volunteer-led, kit-based program is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions and one optional supplemental session, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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) This volunteer-led, it-based program is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
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) This volunteer-led, kit-based program is available for classroom-based or remote classroom implementation. It includes five 45-minute sessions, with additional extended learning activities and optional digital assets offered throughout.
JA Personal Finance 2.0 allows students to experience the interrelationship between today’s financial decisions and future financial freedom. To achieve financial health and wellness, they learn about money-management strategies, including earning, employment and income, budgeting, savings, credit and debt, consumer protection, smart shopping, risk management, investing, credit card usage, debt management, and net worth. (Grades 9-12) The program consists of eight 45-minute sessions with 3 additional modular sessions.
Jr. Apprentice (JrA) serves as an education to employment link designed to enhance and strengthen student motivation to graduate high school with robust pathways to a successful work life while simultaneously breaking down barriers youth face in the job market. It is a year-long work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy initiative for inner-city Hartford students that involves weekly training, off-site experiential learning at businesses and institutions of higher education, and culminates with each student earning a paid internship at a local business.
