Junior Achievement of Washington

Junior Achievement of Washington offers JA BizTown®, where elementary school students combine in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town and operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor. It also offers JA Career Exploration Fair®, JA Career Speakers Series®, JA Career Success®, JA All About Cars®, and JA Be Entrepreneurial® for grades K-12 and 9-12, with activities that include learning about career options, hearing from volunteer guest speakers, taking part in realistic workplace experiences, learning the costs of buying and operating a first car, and using design thinking and the Lean Model Canvas.

Programs

• JA BizTown® — Grades 4-6 · Combines in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town where elementary school students operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor.
• JA Career Exploration Fair® — Grades K-12 · An event where students learn about a range of career options across multiple career clusters.
• JA Career Speakers Series® — Grades K-12 · A volunteer guest speaker visits the classroom and shares information about his or her career, work, and education experience.
• JA Career Success® — Grades 9-12 · An engaging and comprehensive learning experience that introduces high school students to the workplace through realistic work experiences in multiple departments of a fictional company.
• JA All About Cars® — Grades 9-12 · Introduces students to the essential costs related to buying and operating a first car and offers tips on being a smart consumer when purchasing a vehicle.
• JA Be Entrepreneurial® (Creative Problem Solving) — Grades 9-12 · A modular learning experience that teaches the mindset and skills needed for success by aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators, including design thinking for customer-centric problem solving.
• JA Be Entrepreneurial® (Rapid Business Planning) — Grades 9-12 · A modular learning experience that teaches the mindset and skills needed for success by aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators, including the Lean Model Canvas for developing business models.
• JA Be Entrepreneurial® (Think Like an Entrepreneur) — Grades 9-12

At a glance

• Ages: 5–18 years old

About the provider

Junior Achievement was founded in 1919. Natalie Vega O'Neil is the CEO & President of JA of Washington, and Lisa Stirgus is the Chair. Junior Achievement is a nonprofit, and since 1993 independent evaluators have studied its effectiveness.

JA learning experiences support national and state standards in reading, mathematics, social studies, and work and career readiness. JA teachers and volunteers are encouraged to use resources in JA Connect® for some learning experiences.

Last updated August 21, 2026.