Simple tasks like budgeting and working a job are some financial literacy skills that Coastal Georgia students will learn at the new Junior Achievement (JA) Discovery Center.
The center, which is located on the Armstrong campus of Georgia Southern University, opened its door to the first group of students on Monday. The center will focus on two programs: learning how a business works and basic financial skills.
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
Junior Achievement Discovery Center
The new center is one of five located throughout the state of Georgia with other locations in Atlanta and North Georgia. The building where the center is housed was the former student recreation center at the Armstrong campus.
Camille Russo, vice president of Junior Achievement of Georgia, said the total cost of the project was $3.9 million and will have an operating cost of $500,000, adding that the center will serve about 100 to 150 students from Chatham, Bryan, Evans, Effingham, Bulloch and Liberty county school systems.
Russo said the center will also serve students who attend private schools and are homeschooled. The goal of the center is to teach students about financial literacy and to give students the tools to make wise financial decisions before the become adults. Russo said another reason for the center was Junior Achievement found out that students are retaining information about finance if it's more hands-on.
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
Walking into the center, students and visitors will see a mini-version of a Chick-fil-A, Enmarket, Publix and other businesses located in the Savannah-area. Russo said the goal of the mini-stores is to teach students about budget.
When a student goes to a mini-store like Publix, they learn how to purchase groceries on a budget or when they go to the Chick-fil-A, they learn how to purchase food on a budget. Russo said the stores are kind of real world situations that are scaled downed in the discovery center.
Russo said various grades will participate in different programs at the center. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders will learn finances in the Finance Park as part of the Junior Achievement Biz Town program. “So these are the things that we're really excited about in how this discovery center will help with teaching essential financial literacy skills,” she said.
She said the Junior Achievement education manager will work with each school district to set up field trips for students to come to the center. Russo said students are taught 20 lessons from the Junior Achievement’s curriculum at their respective schools before coming to the center. Lessons range from learning about savings, bank accounts and interest are taught by a school's social studies teacher during class.
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
She said programs like the center are beneficial for younger students so they won’t make decisions that could impact their finances once they become adults.
“Hopefully, we're allowing some kids to learn the easy way and at least get the idea of how the world works before they're actually having to sort of struggle through it."
Students jump into action on day one
Students at the STEM Academy at Bartlett spent the day learning about budgeting and how much money they have to spend based on the kind of the job they have.
Seventh grader Jatara Royals said she is excited to learn about how she can save money. “I think we should start learning about how to save, finance and balance our money now, so when we get older, we won’t have so much financial problems."
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
Another student, seventh grader Karl Anderson-Trembly, said he didn’t know what to expect as he arrived at the center but is ready to learn. “This is pretty cool and I’m excited to learn in what we have to do."
Russo said the center provides students with a more hands-on experience than having someone with Junior Achievement coming to speak to a class. “Whereas we used to send businesspeople into the classroom, we’ve made it much more interactive and I love that and that's what I think is the power of the center," she added.
Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools System superintendent Ann Levett said the district for a long time has been wanting to offer an in-person simulation for students that will teach them about financial literacy. She said other middle schools in the district are scheduled to visit the center.
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Bianca Moorman/Savannah Morning News
“It does mean that our students will have a hands-on opportunity to learn and practice financial management skills, financial literacy skills and they are doing it right here in their own community," she said.
A grand opening of the center will take place on Friday.
Bianca Moorman is the education reporter. Reach her at BMoorman@gannett.com or 912-239-7706. Find her on Twitter @biancarmoorman.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Junior Achievement Discovery Center aims to provide financial literacy to Savannah area students
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