Preparing Students for a Financially Literate Future with Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana

If you asked a group of adults what subjects or lessons they wish they’d had in school, there’s a good chance a significant number of them would respond with something like “how to pay my taxes” or “how to ace a job interview.” Upon entering adulthood, these essential things can feel downright confusing.

However, for the students who access programming through the nonprofit Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana (JAKY), those grown-up essentials will already be part of their skill sets. “[JAKY] is really focused on helping our young people to plan financially for their future,” says Jennifer Helgeson, president of Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana.

With in-person and online programs beginning in elementary school, the Louisville-based organization starts with teaching children the fundamentals of finance and budgeting. From learning what a job is to understanding the importance of balancing your checking and savings accounts, JAKY equips kids with the basics and, essentially, the building blocks for adulthood.

One of JAKY’s most notable elementary-centered projects is Biz Town, in which fifth graders experience an immersive real-world curriculum centered around the functionality of living and working in a town. Helgeson explains, “They come to our campus, and they get to participate in a role, whether that job is as a CEO or a CPA, and they learn how a town works within all these businesses and how that supports a thriving economy.”

JAKY’s programming continues through middle and high school, where students build upon what they’ve learned and apply it to other essential tools. A popular JAKY program among high school students is “All About Cars,” in which driving-aged teens gain valuable insights into the costs associated with buying and maintaining an automobile.

Of course, learning and preparing for the future doesn’t end after high school graduation, prompting JAKY to launch the Emerging Leaders program, which focuses on ages 16 through 25 years. “It’s all about financial planning for independent living,” Helgeson explains, as the subjects dive into issues like renting or becoming a homeowner.

Serving 26 counties in the Kentuckiana region, JAKY works with over 55,000 students each year, creating programming and events free of charge. “[JAKY] fulfills a huge need in our communities, because [schools] don’t necessarily have the resources that are leaning into financial literacy and workforce development.”

With 12 full-time and 12 part-time staffers, JAKY can achieve its mission through their passionate volunteers and board members who step up to meet the needs of the youth in their community. Donors and grantmakers have also played a tremendous role in helping the organization to grow and expand over the past 75 years of their operations.

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are a significant part of that progress, making up approximately ten percent of their budget over the past three to five years. “It’s a significant amount that is continuing to grow,” Helgeson acknowledges.

The growth of long-term, unrestricted giving has also had a powerful impact on JAKY, as Helgeson calls this kind of support the “greatest and biggest gift you can give to an organization.” She notes that these gifts support organizations by allowing them to strengthen their scalability through flexibility and pinpoint exactly what they need to reach as many children as possible.

“We have served 1.5 million students on record, which is phenomenal when you think about the young people impacted,” Helgeson says, adding, “Every student at those different milestones has had these opportunities thanks to everything the [JAKY] programs have to offer.”

Photos courtesy of Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana

Additional reporting by Aly Semigran