This spring, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Lubar College of Business joined other businesses to sponsor a “storefront” at JA Finance Park, a simulation lab located in the Milwaukee headquarters of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. The ribbon-cutting of the new storefront was held in mid-April with students from MPS schools Andrew Douglas Middle and Morgandale in attendance.
Sixth- through ninth-grade students in a 90-mile radius of Milwaukee can attend JA Finance Park after they complete a 14-lesson curriculum. During the classroom lessons, students learn the basics of building a budget and making the hard choices between needs and wants.
When students arrive at JA Finance Park, they are assigned a life persona for which they must build and balance a monthly budget. They visit business “storefronts” to learn the costs of rent, house payments, utilities, car insurance, entertainment and other typical monthly payments.
“We are proud to have a strong presence in JA Finance Park. It is important for us to set up our future students for financial and career success through this partnership with Junior Achievement of Wisconsin,” Lubar Dean Kaushal Chari said.
Current Lubar students volunteer in the storefront, which broadens their perspectives and allows them to give back to the community, said Chari, who is a Junior Achievement board member.