Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, Inc.

Junior Achievement programs address the students most at risk of not meeting the challenging academic standards and provide them with an enriching experience. During this time in our nation's history, children are in need of financial education that will allow them to pave their way to success and JA programs do just that. More specifically, JA programs offer year round engagement that bridges the gap between traditional classroom learning and the real world.
Specific goals we look to achieve for our students include:
•Acquiring the knowledge and skills to become prepared for the 21st century workforce;
•Becoming prepared to achieve economic self-sufficiency;
•Discovering the inspiration to consider the importance of seeking post-secondary formal education opportunities in order to position themselves to achieve desired, well-paying careers;
•Being taught both the hard-skills (specific knowledge) and soft-skill (the ability to perform well as a part of a corporate team) that employers are seeking

JA programs teach students in grades K-12 how to create economic self-sufficiency, how to create jobs which make their community more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking and behaviors in the workplace thus preparing them for the real world. JACMD is also capable of bringing together community partners to support direct student achievement and resource gaps, believing that a more educated population will create jobs, attract businesses, and impact civic participation, improving the quality of life in Maryland. JA continues to help students become strong, self-sufficient, economically secure adults by providing unique hands-on learning experiences delivered by engaged corporate and community volunteer mentors. This year alone, Junior Achievement is poised to reach over 47,500 students throughout Central Maryland through experience programming like our elementary capstone learning center, JA BizTown, and JA Finance Park Virtual, or middle grades computer based learning experience. Junior Achievement programs inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy by focusing on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. JA programs teach students in grades K-12 how to create economic self-sufficiency, how to create jobs which make their community more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking and behaviors in the workplace thus preparing them for the real world.

Junior Achievement programming has proven to have influenced positive behavioral outcomes using scientifically valid evaluations. JA programs increase knowledge and influence attitudes students, thus increasing their self-efficacy and independence. This in turn fosters self-belief, as well as a sense of pride, both necessary in helping students overcome challenges throughout their formal schooling and secondary education aspirations.
Throughout all Junior Achievement programs, students must use critical thinking and decision-making skills to make key life choices. Independent survey results prove JA is preparing students to develop successful financial management habits and providing them the skills necessary to succeed in a global economy. JA programs show students the value of an education, bridge the gap between what they are learning in the classroom with the real world, and equip the students with the skills and tools they need to be more successful in school and their future careers.
JA programs empower students to make the connections between what they learn in school and how it can be applied to the real world – enhancing the relevance of their classroom learning and increasing their understanding of the value of staying in school.

Junior Achievement is proud to have served over 47,500 students throughout Central Maryland during the 2016- 2017 school year through influential programming focused on financial literacy, workforce development, and entrepreneurship. Every year we continue to increase our outreach and impact in hopes of reaching every student in Central Maryland with meaningful and impactful JA programming. We continue to want to increase our impact because providing young people with a vision for their future sets them on the right path by promoting better decision making and fostering respect for themselves and others. It is now more imperative than ever that we continue to expand our programming, specifically in Baltimore, to drive future success and to continue to build the pipeline of our future workforce.