Junior Achievement And T. Rowe Price Foundation Launch New Web Portal To Boost Kids' Money Confidence

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Oct. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Junior Achievement and T. Rowe Price have partnered to develop a new web portal, available at moneyconfidentkids.com/ja, designed to serve as a go-to resource on financial education for parents, educators, and students.  The partnership was made possible through a grant from the T. Rowe Price Foundation.

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"This partnership allows JA to use technology to extend its reach inside and outside of schools and deepen its engagement with students," says Jack E. Kosakowski, president and chief executive officer, Junior Achievement USA.  The portal seeks to make financial topics interesting and engaging by offering tips, tools, and games designed to convey basic financial concepts in a fun, easy-to-digest format.

The site provides direct access to The Great Piggy Bank Adventure®, an online game and mobile app created in collaboration with T. Rowe Price and Walt Disney Imagineering. Players are challenged to set goals, save and spend wisely, while staying ahead of inflation and diversifying their assets. In addition to the online and mobile game, there is an interactive exhibit for families visiting INNOVENTIONS at Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida.

According to T. Rowe Price's 2013 Parents, Kids & Money Survey, 75 percent of kids surveyed thought an online game or mobile app would be helpful to them as they learn about saving and spending.  The survey also revealed 73 percent of parents think they are having regular conversations about money with their kids, but only 34 percent of kids agree.

In an effort to make these conversations easier and more frequent, the new portal offers content for parents, as well as educators, that takes advantage of everyday teachable moments and includes financial conversation icebreakers for kids ages 5 to 17.  Additionally, students can learn financial terms and concepts by utilizing some of the site's activities, such as money-related crossword puzzles, word searches and quizzes, and educators can learn how to integrate the portal activities and games into their curriculum to meet common core standards.

"Developing this portal with T. Rowe Price was a natural fit with Junior Achievement's founding principle of improving the financial education of youth, and positively impacting long-term personal financial behaviors," said Mr. Kosakowski.  "T. Rowe Price has a longstanding commitment to building financial capabilities in the community, and this shared responsibility defines our partnership."

"Helping kids learn fundamental concepts, like setting goals, saving, inflation, and asset allocation, is the focal point of the partnership with Junior Achievement," says Ann Allston Boyce, president of the T. Rowe Price Foundation.  "We are pleased to provide funding for Junior Achievement to develop an online resource that is readily available to parents, educators, and volunteers around the country."

About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches 4.4 million students per year in 118 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.7 million students served by operations in 120 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

About T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Founded in 1937, Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.  (NASDAQ-GS: TROW) is a global investment management organization with $614 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2013. The organization provides a broad array of mutual funds, subadvisory services, and separate account management for individual and institutional investors, retirement plans, and financial intermediaries. The company also offers sophisticated investment planning and guidance tools. T. Rowe Price's disciplined, risk-aware investment approach focuses on diversification, style consistency, and fundamental research.

The T. Rowe Price Foundation was founded and is supported by T. Rowe Price Group. Inc. The Foundation is committed to pursuing the long-term success of the communities where T. Rowe Price associates live and work and provides financial support to qualified US-based nonprofit organizations to develop and sustain strategic initiatives that equip youth for success, empower individuals to improve their lives, and enrich community life through the arts. 

T. Rowe Price and Disney Enterprises, Inc. are not affiliated companies.

SOURCE Junior Achievement USA