JA partners with Southeast to bring financial literacy to students

Money doesn't grow on trees, but fostering early education in money management can grow into better financial literacy in the future.

The Junior Achievement program, partnered with Southeast Missouri State University, serves students in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Perryville schools to teach the value of financial literacy and give hands-on entrepreneurship experience. Six professors across Southeast departments volunteer for the program, which serves students in kindergarten through the high school level.

As a volunteer for the Junior Achievement program, Southeast associate professor of health care management Natallia Gray works with kindergarten, first, second and third graders to teach money management and financial literacy skills.

In the past three years, Gray has taught in local classrooms through activities, reading books to classes and discussions on how students can manage money in their own lives. She said it starts with basic material such as saving money and chores for kindergartners and grows into lessons about debit and credit cards in third grade.

As a mother to a 7-year-old, Gray said it's an appropriate age to start teaching financial literacy as children are already interacting with money at that age.

Junior Achievement allows students to experience the real-world challenges and successes of entrepreneurship through activities modeled after small businesses. In the program held for the first time in the fall at Catapult Creative House, Catapult manager Leah Powers said students learned entrepreneurship skills through a keychain business called BeeChainz. The business concept started with the students' love of the 2007 DreamWorks film "Bee Movie," Powers said, and grew into a hands-on entrepreneurship venture.

A group of five students from Jackson High School met at least once a week September through December after school at Catapult Creative House. Under the direction of Powers, the students developed a keychain product concept, created the product using a 3D printer, marketed and later sold the keychains for a profit. They donated 10% of that profit to the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, Powers said, and were still able to bring home roughly $91 each after business expenses.

The real value was in how the program changed the high school students, Powers said.

"It provides the opportunity for them to say 'I can actually do this,'" she said. "In the beginning, they were a little shy and not so sure of their skill sets and how they would fit into the program. By the end of the program, I watched them go from 'I don't know if this will work,' or 'This is just a fun activity,' to 'I really want to do this in my future.'"

The JA program not only teaches entrepreneurship skills but financial literacy and community engagement as well, assistant professor of hospitality management Nick Johnston said. As a volunteer for the program, the Southeast professor said he has seen students learn the value of money and how it operates in society. In five sessions, Johnston said the pre-kindergarten through second-grade students participated in hands-on activities that set the foundation for the students' careers in the future.

"It's a way for the community to show these students the pathway to not only just higher education but various careers -- trade-based careers, entrepreneurial pathways as well as traditional higher education," he said. "It teaches them values on just how to be an adult."

Gray, Johnston and Powers are all Southeast professors who serve on the JA advisory board. Powers said the program also gives Southeast students the opportunity to become involved in the community.

Computer-science graduate student Jayachithra Jayapal visited a fourth-grade classroom in Jackson to speak with the students about entrepreneurship and Catapult Creative House. As a student, she said it was a great opportunity and a positive experience to speak with younger students about entrepreneurship.

For more information on how to become involved in the program, contact Becki Arends at barends@jastl.org.