Junior Achievement of Central Iowa, Inc.
Be the difference. Make a difference.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
JA Finance Park
Innovative | Bold | Relevant
JA Finance Park® is all that, and more. This financial literacy laboratory exists to inspire and prepare youth to succeed. There is no question about it: Financial literacy and sound money management skills are essential to success. Today more than ever, young adults need a strong foundation for making intelligent, lifelong, personal financial decisions.
To improve the financial literacy of our future business leaders and employees, Junior Achievement has created an exciting reality-based learning environment for middle and high school students.
JA Finance Park allows middle and high-school grade students to see, touch, and live the experience of personal finance in a real-life setting of stores, shops, and financial institutions, by basically becoming "an adult for the day."
Program Goals
The goals of JA Finance Park and JA BizTown are to:
Teach students to develop and follow a monthly budget
Help students to research and understand the actual "costs of living" for the basic necessities of life
Encourage students to develop and demonstrate personal responsibility for learning and self-management
Communicate and work with schools to promote the highest level of student achievement
Challenge students to think critically, creatively, analyze tasks, and solve problems
At JA Finance Park, students are given a unique life profile after answering a series of future lifestyle questions. Their life profile includes an income, marital status, even kids! Using this new adult persona, students work to create a balanced monthly budget while making decisions regarding housing, transportation, insurance, savings, entertainment expenses and much more.
Elementary School
JA Ourselves
JA Our Families
JA Our Community
JA Our City
JA Our Region
JA Our Nation
JA BizTown
Middle School
JA America Works
JA Economics for Success
JA Global Marketplace
JA It's My Future
High School
JA Be Entrepreneurial
JA Career Success
JA Economics
JA Exploring Economics
JA Personal Finance
JA Titan
JA BizTown
Innovative | Bold | Relevant
JA BizTown® is all that, and more. This financial literacy laboratory exists to inspire and prepare youth to succeed. There is no question about it: Financial literacy and sound money management skills are essential to success. Today more than ever, young adults need a strong foundation for making intelligent, lifelong, personal financial decisions.
To improve the financial literacy of our future business leaders and employees, Junior Achievement has created an exciting reality-based learning environment for elementary students.
JA BizTown students to see, touch, and live the experience of personal finance in a real-life setting of stores, shops, and financial institutions, by basically becoming "an adult for the day."
Where we work
Awards
5 Star Award 2022
Junior Achievement USA
External reviews
Photos
Videos
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Junior Achievement of Central Iowa, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 03/21/2023
Mr. Jeff Austin
Berkshire Hathaway
Term: 2022 - 2023
Andy Wood
Bankers Trust
Ben Roach
Nymaster Goode
Brian Hughes
GuideOne Insurance
Brian Neitzel
IMT
Brian Waller
Insurance Finance Corp.
Carrie Valster
ITA Group
Casey Decker
Farm Bureau Financial
Craig Krimbill
Sammons Financial Group
Dirk Halupnik
SE Polk School District
Duane (DT) Magee
Norwalk School District
Elaine Castelline
Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino
Geoff Christy
Principal
Glenn Oberlin
Workspace
James Green
Mercer
Jason Hamilton
BKD
Jasen Dahm
Vision Financial
Jeff Austin
Berkshire Hathaway Energy
Jody Gehl
LightEdge
Kurt Gibson
Community State Bank
Laura Kacer
Johnston School District
Marta Codina
Wells Fargo
Marty Walsh
Walsh Door & Hardware
Mike Lacy
Meredith Corporation
Rachel Adams
Two Rivers Marketing
Randy Rubin
MercyOne Medical Center
Rod Foster
RSM US LLP
Ryan Weese
Shindler, Anderson, Gopelrud & Weese, P.C.
Sean Vicente
KPMG LLP
Steve McCullough
Iowa Student Loan
Stuart Ruddy
Knapp Properties
Tim Grabinski
MidAmerican Energy
Aaron Lee
FHLB Des Moines
Aliou Keita
Lincoln Savings Bank
Amanda Harless
Global Atlantic
Brandon Grimm
Gilbert and Cook
Brandy McDowell
US Bank
Chad Schumacher
Dotdash Meredith
Charles Folsom
Waukee School District
Dawn Welling
UnityPoint
Donna Bishop
Diocese of Des Moines
Erick Pruitt
Ankeny Community School District
James Nowasell
The Weitz Company
Jeff Travis
Dubuque Bank and Trust
Jon Holstrom
Willis Automotive
Julie Eggleston
Bankers Trust
Kelly Flynn
Prospective Value Partners
Lonnie Dafney
Federal Reserve Financial Services
Majda Hadzic
Chase Bank
Marcy Klipfel
Businessolver
Marissa Bryan
Accenture
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data