Junior Achievement leaves impression on N.J. students

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Since New Jersey made financial literacy part of the public school curriculum four years ago, Junior Achievement of New Jersey has seen the growth of its financial education programs designed to help students learn how to save and budget their money.

JANJ reported that in the past school year, 44,569 New Jersey students were taught, at no cost, the JANJ program by teachers and trained volunteers from the business community.

A nonprofit founded in 1919, Junior Achievement provides schools with curriculum in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.

JANJ President Catherine Milone said more New Jersey schools are using the organization’s free financial literacy programs to meet the state requirements.

A popular program is JA Finance Park, which begins with 13 classroom lessons on saving, investing, salary, taxes, budgeting and career goals. Students then visit the Junior Achievement Finance Park, sponsored by Capital One Bank, a simulated city where students are assigned fictional jobs, incomes, families and expenses, then have to develop and manage a household budget.

Previously based in Newark, plans are underway for the mobile Finance Park learning center to be based in Central and North Jersey this fall to expand the program’s reach.

Last year 3,943 students from 15 New Jersey counties participated in Finance Park.

Reporter Beth Fitzgerald is @BethFitzgerald8 on Twitter.