JA BizTown is an 8,000 square foot mini-city housing a variety of business storefronts.  Students participating in the JA BizTown program complete lessons taught in the classroom in preparation to run a business and manage their personal and business finances.  Classroom preparation also encompasses career exploration, applying for a job, and job interviews.

A trip to JA BizTown is an exhilarating 4 1/2 hour simulated workday experience for students as they immerse themselves in the role of a JA BizTown citizen for the day.  As CEOs, CFOs, Ad Executives, Bank Tellers, Video Game Coders, Graphic Designers to name just a few of the exciting job opportunities in JA BizTown, students take on the role of a business team member in addition to participating in the BizTown economy as a consumer during their lunch and shopping breaks.

What students learn as members of a business team:

• To responsibly manage staff, financial resources, inventories and customers.

• To work as a team.

• To account for business expenses and still take in enough money to make a profit. To balance their professional and personal responsibilities.

What students learn as consumers or customers:

• To make wise financial decisions.

• To write checks, manage a debit card, and balance a check book. To make deposits into their bank accounts.

• To understand their relationship, as consumers, to the economy.