Junior Achievement of New Jersey Introduces Financial Literacy Curriculum

Author: New Jersey School Board Association
Financial Literacy
Published: Thursday, 31 Oct 2019

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Image caption: Left: Matthew Weber, JANJ state board director; Nicole Visceglia Rodgers, Federal Business Centers; Catherine Milone, JANJ president; Kimberley Harrington, NJ Com. of Education; Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, ED, New Jersey School Boards Association

On Oct. 18, Junior Achievement of New Jersey (JANJ) introduced its revised financial literacy curriculum before an audience of school administrators and board members.

The session showed school districts how they could use the JA Finance Park curriculum to help their students meet the 9.1 Standard graduation requirement in financial literacy. JA’s financial literacy program fully aligns with the state mandate, and is used by districts to help their students meet the state’s curriculum standards needed to graduate from high school.

“We are excited about the possibilities for the financial literacy and career readiness curriculum we call Finance Park,” said Catherine Milone, president of Junior Achievement of New Jersey. “It is so important to help students understand personal money management and personal finance. These are skills that will last a lifetime.”

In addition to remarks by Milone, Dr. Lawrence Feinsod, the executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), and New Jersey Commissioner of Education Kimberley Harrington addressed the attending teachers, principals and supervisors who wanted to learn about how JA can support their students and districts.

“Based on my many years as a teacher, principal and superintendent, I have reached the conclusion that education in financial literacy is one of the most pressing needs among our students and an area that requires greater effort and attention,” explained Feinsod. “I have also observed how Junior Achievement of New Jersey makes a difference. Today, JANJ reaches 70,000 New Jersey students annually through its various programs. And one of the most creative is JA Finance Park.”

“Regardless of the career path students choose to follow after high school, it will be essential that they know about financial management. I applaud the efforts of Junior Achievement of New Jersey in bringing content into context and answering the question, ‘When will I ever use this again?’ for our students,” Commissioner Harrington said.

JA Finance Park combines teacher-taught lessons with a culminating hi-tech experiential field trip to the JA Education Center. Middle and high school students role-play as adults, and gain valuable personal finance and work readiness insight as they move through the simulation guided by volunteers from the New Jersey business community.