SAN DIEGO ( CBS 8 ) - BizTown is a 10,000 square foot mini-city in which kids discover how the "real world" works.
Each day, about 150 5th graders become JA BizTown "citizens" where they work in one of 21 businesses, make financial decisions, pay taxes and donate to charity.
After four weeks of classroom lessons, students come to JA BizTown for the learning experience of their lives.
Each citizen has a job for the day, gets paid twice, manages a checking account, shops, gets health check-ups, and much more.
The program has been so successful that in 2015, Junior Achievement will launch "JA Finance Park," a hands-on simulation for teens and young adults that enables them to build foundations for making intelligent, lifelong personal finance decisions.
Mission Federal Credit Union is a major sponsor as this opportunity will link to money management and lifetime success.
The McGrath Family JA BizTown is a 10,000 sq. foot mini-city in which kids discover how the "real world" works.
Because of Mission Fed's support an additional 15,000 students each year will learn the importance of staying in school, getting a job, learning how money works and how to start a business.
At the Park, the students find out if they are a plumber or physician, are they married, how many children they have, can they afford a new car and how will their decisions effect their FICO score.
Statistics:
18% of San Diego students will not complete high school on time and earn a diploma
49% of U.S. employers recognize that their talent shortages impact their ability to serve clients and customers
33% of Americans say that at some point in their lives their financial situation was out of control
60% of today's teens do not think they will be ready to financially support themselves by the time they turn 24