Junior Achievement, Capital One Take Financial Literacy Education Into the Digital World

Innovative new online simulation provides Southeast Texas students with valuable life skills

HOUSTON, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Local students are one step closer to acquiring the money-management skills they need to achieve lifelong financial responsibility and success. Today, Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas announced that it has been selected as one of 13 pilot sites in the United States for a virtual, interactive application of JA Finance Park®, an innovative financial literacy simulation that introduces young people to personal financial planning and career exploration.

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Through the support of Capital One Financial Corporation, JA Finance Park Virtual will bring Junior Achievement's nationally recognized financial education curriculum to more students nationwide by making it easier for classrooms to offer the program through an online-based channel.

Through JA Finance Park Virtual, students in any classroom with computer access can participate in the powerful JA Finance Park hands-on experience. Students first build their skills in the classroom with four weeks of teacher-led lessons; then they put what they've learned about economic options and budgeting into practice in an online role-playing scenario. In four online simulation sessions, students will assume randomly generated life situations—each with an assigned job, age, marital status, income, and educational background—and face the realities of successfully developing a budget, maintaining a household and pursuing a career.

"Participation in the JA Finance Park Virtual pilot process gives our students a wonderful opportunity to acquire the money-management and career skills they need to take charge of their future economic success," said Rick Franke, president of JA of Southeast Texas.  "This program, like all of JA's proven curricula, provides effective, experiential learning that students benefit from."

"Capital One is proud to partner with Junior Achievement to launch JA Finance Park Virtual, which will expand access to important life skills for more young people across the nation," said Carolyn Berkowitz, Vice President, Community Affairs, Capital One. "We believe that financial education and money management skills are crucial building blocks for economic success."

JA Finance Park Virtual is being piloted in the Greater Houston Region at Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Barbers Hill ISD, Houston ISD and Beaumont ISD during the 2010 fall semester impacting a total of 200 local students, and will become available to additional schools in the spring semester 2011.

CONTACT: Kevin Hattery, +1-713-682-4500 x231 or [email protected]

SOURCE Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas