INSPIRE THEIR INDEPENDENCE

Imagine a generation where young people, no matter their background, know how to budget, save, and invest; a generation that is armed with the confidence and understanding to take control of their financial futures, their careers and the tools to achieve their dreams. Our mission is to provide students with opportunities to make those dreams a reality. At JA Finance Park students have the rare opportunity to experience their personal financial futures first-hand. Here, 8th grade students participate in an immersive simulation that enables them to develop skills to successfully navigate today’s complex economic environment and discover how decisions today can impact tomorrow.

Our JA Finance Park® program invests in youth now so they can navigate the financial waters in the future. An experiential, real-life simulation, JA Finance Park first provides a series of lessons in the classroom to middle school students where they learn about all aspects of personal finance including learning about balancing a family budget, interest rates, how education affects their earning potential, and how saving today can affect their future.

Then, students come to JA Finance Park at the Bill Poe Family JA Center to put their new knowledge into action. During this half-day experience, students assume randomly assigned family and income scenarios and visit businesses to gather information for their personal financial decision-making. They utilize banking services, purchase housing, transportation, insurance, furnishings, health care, and other expenses, as well as make investment decisions.

The JA Finance Park curriculum (both entry level and advanced) wraps up with a hands-on, completely virtual simulation that is supported by volunteers and educators. This new Virtual 2.0 simulation has been fully redeveloped, with a brand-new experiences and an updated look and feel. In the entry level simulation, students assume randomly assigned family and income scenarios and will gather information to make informed financial decisions. They utilize banking services, purchase housing, transportation, insurance, furnishings, health care, and other expenses, as well as make investment decisions. The advanced simulation for high school students will take a deeper dive, and allow them to make decisions on what they want their simulated future to look like. It will take them through numerous life stages, to experience what it is like to budget as a teenager compared to a retired adult. This hands-on experience lays a solid foundation for students’ future decision-making.

For more information contact: 

Angelica Tobar
Manager, JA Finance Park
Email: Angelica.Tobar@ja.org

813-631-1410 ext 226

Where can middle school students be engaged in the real-life experience of creating and maintaining a personal budget? Where would they be asked to create a lifestyle budget that factors in health care, housing, transportation, home improvement, banking and loans, groceries, stocks, and utilities?

This will all happen at JA Finance Park where students study the concept of personal financial managements in the classroom and then apply them in a life-like business environment.

JA Finance Park is a learning experience that teaches students financial literacy, career exploration, and money management skills in a student size town built just for them. Our partner educators (you!) deliver 13 lessons in the classroom before their students visit JA Finance Park. Teachers can choose from traditional lessons or implement a project based learning curriculum, both of which are correlated to Common Core and Florida State standards and designed to be easily integrated into your class curriculum. Lessons are easy to use and can be taught straight from the provided educator’s kit. We train all teachers on the curriculum and provide the teaching materials during a one-time training.

Once the students receive the curriculum in their classrooms, students visit JA Finance Park at the Bill Poe Family JA Center for an on-site simulation. Each student receives a life and job scenario and corresponding salary.  Based on this information, they will identify lifestyle goals, visit businesses to learn about their budget categories, create a budget, make purchasing decisions, and pay for their expenses without overspending. By the end of the day students have gained an understanding of the educational and financial decisions that help shape their future.

If you would like more information in regards to how your school can be a part of this impactful experience, please contact:

Angelica Tobar
Manager, JA Finance Park
Email: Angelica.Tobar@ja.org

813-631-1410 ext 226

Each simulation day requires between 15-20 volunteers to assist in the visit.

We cannot run the JA Finance Park simulation without volunteers to supervise and assist the students, and by volunteering, you are making it possible for our schools to participate in the program!

As a volunteer, you will be assigned to one of the storefronts in JA Finance Park, where you will provide information about different budget items, assist the students in balancing their budget, and help them to stay on task and focus on their personal goals.

JA Finance Park volunteers do not need to have specific expertise and are encouraged to share real-world experience/advice to the students as they learn what it means to be a working professional.

The total time commitment is 5 hours, which includes a 1 hr training the morning of before the students arrive, where you will receive training on how to facilitate the students’ learning. We will go over what to expect and how to make the day successful for you as well as the students. During the day, you will receive a volunteer binder, with helpful checklists, FAQs, and troubleshooting tips.

If you are interested in volunteering with one of our schools for a day, or would like to volunteer on an “on-call” basis, please contact:

Caleb Schillace
Caleb.Schillace@ja.org
813-485-9620