Business Gets Done and Done at Junior Achievement

Tired of hearing your kids complain that they’ll they never actually use what they learn in school?

There’s at least once place in town you’ll never hear that kind of talk.

At Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, students learn financial literacy—everything from making a budget and balancing a checkbook to interviewing for jobs.

"All the things you’d think parents or the schools are teaching, but aren’t," said JoAnn Goldberger, senior director of strategic partnerships for the Owings Mills-based nonprofit.

The group reaches about 20,000 students annually, with that number expected to double in the next school year when public school students in grades 3-12 will be required to participate in financial literacy training as part of their curriculum. The state mandate is unfunded, so it’s up to each school district to determine how to meet the requirement.

Junior Achievement’s 25 different programs are each designed to be grade appropriate.

Elementary school students visit JA BizTown, a 14,000-square-foot "city" with 14 different businesses, housed in a business park off Red Run Blvd. Participants interview for jobs and, once "hired," make decisions such as how much merchandise to sell, how to handle payroll, and how to pay back their business loan while still making a profit.

Middle schoolers participate in JA Finance Town, which focuses on personal finance.

"We teach them how to save for the future on whatever budget they have," she said. "Maybe they can’t afford that mansion with a pool. Maybe a sports car isn’t really feasible when you have three kids. Not everybody can be Justin Bieber or Joe Flacco."

The focus for high school students is on entrepreneurship.

Owings Mills High School teacher Catherine A. Clarke took a group of 11 students to Junior Achievement last month.

"It was an extremely worthwhile experience," said Clarke, the coordinator of Owings Mills’ AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, designed to put capable but underperforming students on track for college. "The critical thinking and problem-solving scenarios engaged the students fully and they worked enthusiastically for several hours straight. I never had to encourage a student even once to participate because we all were involved and learning."

Clarke said some of the students at first were apprehensive, but quickly came around.

"Several of them said that when they arrived and saw the store fronts they thought ‘Oh no, what are we doing?’ Then, they quickly added that they had to admit that they actually enjoyed the day and thought was a great opportunity that provided concrete information for them to use in their life."

Most of Junior Achievement’s funding comes from corporate partners who share the organization’s mission. Toyota Financial Services, for example, one of the organization’s neighbors, just donated $22,500 in April to help support the programs.

The group also relies heavily on volunteers, including over 2,400 role models from the local business community. And, while most volunteers come from the working world, recently seniors at New Town High School took a turn teaching kids at New Town Elementary. The pilot program was a success, Goldberger said, particularly for students interested in the teaching field.

"Every one of our programs has measurable outcomes. We can always prove what we can deliver, she said. "Everything that Junior Achievement teaches shows the importance of what they’re learning in school transforms to success in real life."