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Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa has been partnering with the College Community School District since 2010 to educate students about money, how education leads to career success, and how to start and run a business. Currently, there are a total of 2,759 kindergarten through 6th grade students in 137 classrooms enrolled in programs at College Community.

“We are proud of the long relationship we have had with Junior Achievement. This partnership provides all students in grades K-6 with exposure to financial literacy concepts delivered by caring community members,” said College Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Doug Wheeler who also serves on the JA Board of Directors and is their Chief Academic Officer. “We are also working with JA on our education/training and career readiness initiatives.  Exposing students to financial skills assists them in making good decisions as they take on their first job, investigate careers, and plan for their education/training beyond high school.”

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa is dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in the global economy through work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy educational programs. JAEI’s programs are delivered by 1,295 local volunteers that can provide students with real-world examples of how obstacles can be overcome, and success achieved. JAEI provides its programs to 33,545 students throughout Eastern Iowa which includes Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Delaware, Grundy, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, and Linn counties.

“Junior Achievement’s partnership with the College Community School District is invaluable,” said Christine Landa, President of Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa. “With the support of administrators within the district and community volunteers, we are able to explore and implement a wide array of programs and student experiences that prepare and empower students to become career ready and financially savvy adults. Our partnership works to address the changing needs of the local workforce and will ensure Linn County’s local competitiveness.

As part of Junior Achievement’s operating agreement, all programs must be implemented by community volunteers, which makes the organization stand out amongst other career readiness and financial literacy curriculum. Mentors from the business community visit with local classrooms for approximately one hour, once a week, for five to seven weeks. At College Community, there are 100 JA volunteers who serve our students.   

To learn more about Junior Achievement visit https://easterniowa.ja.org/. To learn more about Junior Achievement volunteer opportunities, please visit https://engage.ja.org/