Junior Achievement Of Arizona

Junior Achievement of Arizona's JA BizTown is a dynamic, experiential learning program designed for students in grades 4-6. Over the course of 14-20 hours of classroom instruction, students collaborate to develop business plans, calculate operating costs, design marketing campaigns, apply for jobs, vote for city officials, and explore diverse career paths. This immersive curriculum culminates in a hands-on simulation where students run a fully functioning mini-city, applying the skills they've learned in a real-world context. Students who complete JA BizTown demonstrate an average 24% increase in knowledge in key areas such as financial literacy and work readiness. Among participating educators, 99% report they would recommend JA BizTown to fellow teachers, underscoring the program's educational value and impact. This year, 21,740 students from 245 schools participated in JA BizTown. The program was made possible through the support of 5,270 volunteers - including business professionals, parents, and teachers - who generously donated their time and expertise. The estimated value of this volunteer contribution is $2,361,413 which is not reflected in Part IX expenses but is noted here to highlight the cost-efficiency of our volunteer-driven model. When the value of volunteer time is included, our program expense ratio increases to 88%, demonstrating the strategic advantage of leveraging community expertise to deliver high-impact programming at scale.

JA Inspire is Junior Achievement of Arizona's premier career exploration and readiness program, designed to empower students from 5th grade through post-secondary education to explore careers of the future and prepare for success in the workforce. This year, 86,453 students from 457 schools and other learning environments participated in this innovative program. JA Inspire offers a flexible, dynamic experience that includes guided or self-led career readiness curriculum, a career interest inventory, digital badging, and interactive engagement with Arizona employers across all industries and career clusters through virtual career exhibit halls. Through these activities, students develop personalized career plans, build essential soft skills, and gain exposure to real-world opportunities. The curriculum is adaptable to meet the diverse needs of educators and students, aligning with key educational competency standards and career readiness credentials. Participants in JA Inspire demonstrated an average 19% increase in knowledge related to career planning and work readiness. Additionally, 97% of educators who implemented the program reported they would recommend JA Inspire to their colleagues, highlighting its relevance and effectiveness in preparing students for future success.

JA Finance Park is Junior Achievement of Arizona's second capstone experiential learning program, designed to equip middle school students with essential personal financial management skills. Over the course of 14-20 hours of classroom instruction, students explore topics such as budgeting, income, saving, credit, taxes, insurance, and the relationship between education and earning potential. The program culminates in a hands-on virtual simulation, where students are assigned a fictional life scenario-including job, income, family status, and expenses-and must create and maintain a balanced personal budget. This immersive experience helps students understand the real-world implications of financial decisions and prepares them to navigate future financial complexities with confidence. This year, 3,735 students from 36 schools participated in JA Finance Park. Post-program assessments show an average 39% increase in financial literacy knowledge, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in building foundational financial skills. The program was delivered with the support of 600 volunteers from the business community, as well as parents and educators, who donated their time and mileage to mentor students through the simulation. The estimated value of this volunteer contribution is $290,761, which is not reflected in Part IX expenses but is noted here to highlight the cost-efficiency of our volunteer-driven model. Including the value of volunteer time increases our program expense ratio to 88%, underscoring the strategic advantage of leveraging community expertise to deliver high-impact financial education.

JA Money in Motion is a new mobile financial literacy and career readiness program designed to serve students in rural and tribal communities across Arizona grades 3-12. Similar to JA Finance Park, this program brings a realistic budgeting simulation directly to schools, eliminating barriers such as transportation and cost, and ensuring equitable access to critical financial education. Students participate in a hands-on budgeting experience, guided by community volunteers, where they build a personal budget based on a fictional life scenario. The experiential learning simulation is the culmination of JAAZ provided, age-appropriate curriculum teaching foundational money management concepts. This year, 6,386 students from 33 schools participated in JA Money in Motion. The program was delivered with the support of 349 volunteers, including business professionals, parents, and educators, who donated their time and expertise. Their contribution, valued at $70,568, is not reflected in Part IX expenses but is noted here to highlight the cost-efficiency of our volunteer-driven model. Including the value of volunteer time increases our program expense ratio to 88%, demonstrating the strategic advantage of leveraging community expertise to deliver high-impact financial education. Post-program assessments show an average 21% increase in financial literacy knowledge, and 99% of educators reported they would recommend JA Money in Motion to their peers, underscoring the program's effectiveness and relevance.