Junior Achievement Greater Washington Futures - April 2012

[Howard Hartman]

Financial Literacy | Work Readiness | Entrepreneurship
Greater Washington Futures
April 2012	DONATE   |   VOLUNTEER   |   myJA.org
Ed Grenier President and CEO Junior Achievement of Greater Washington As our country recognizes National Financial Literacy Month this April, I encourage all parents to use everyday opportunities to teach their children about this fundamental life skill. The term “financial literacy” need not always bring to mind 401(k)s, Roth IRAs, or other economic concepts that young people typically view as far-off. Instead, it can be associated with current, relevant questions: “Why does the ATM give us money?” “Who is paying to widen the roads?” “How is the weekly budget set for groceries?” Take advantage of these teachable moments to engage with your kids, these real world lessons will stick with them forever. They’ll be glad you did.	Empowering young people to own their economic success Junior Achievement Featured on PBS Nightly Business Report A recent national feature story on the PBS Nightly Business Report described how JA’s financial literacy and work readiness curriculum impacts the lives of over 10 million youth each year, empowering them to find their way to success in life. Interestingly, the piece featured a JA high school student teaching Junior Achievement lessons in an elementary school classroom. To watch the video or read its transcript, please click here. Finance Park Honored by the National School Board Association Junior Achievement Finance Park and Fairfax County Public Schools were honored by the Association’s Journal Magna Awards, which recognizes national innovative programs that advance student learning. Junior Achievement Finance Park was one of only a handful of educational projects nationwide to be selected for this honor. By June, it will have provided over 27,000 local middle school students with invaluable personal budgeting lessons since October 2010. To learn more about the Magna Awards, please visit www.asbj.com/magna/, and to learn more about Finance Park, please visit www.JuniorAchievement FinancePark.org. Junior Achievement Parent and Teacher Tools Available as Free Download To support Financial Literacy Month in April, JA released new Junior Achievement $ave, USA lessons for elementary, middle, and high school students that are now available as free downloads. Junior Achievement $ave, USA is a series of lessons for educators and parents designed to help students develop higher levels of personal financial understanding. To download your copy, please visit www.myJA.org/programs/saveusa/. JA Hosts Montgomery County Leaders JA’s Montgomery County Advisory Council recently convened local business and community leaders to discuss investment in education. In her keynote remarks Dr. DeRionne Pollard, President of Montgomery College, shared her vision for building strong communities, emphasizing that Junior Achievement plays a critical role in encouraging young people to live their dreams. This was the third briefing in an ongoing series sponsored by the Montgomery County Advisory Council. The group discussed how local businesspeople can make a significant impact on youth by simply sharing their experiences with them. To learn more about Junior Achievement’s outreach in Montgomery County, please visit www.myJA.org/ montgomery/.
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