banner photo: Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green works with students during a JA Our Community session

JA Our Community

JA Our Community introduces students to the intersection of work readiness and early elementary grades social studies learning objectives, including how citizens benefit from and contribute to a community's success.

Following participation in the program, students will be able to describe a community; identify the variety of careers people have in a community and how each job requires specific skills; identify how business and government jobs help a community; explain how taxation supports government services; recognize voting as a way responsible citizens act;
describe the flow of money in a community's economy.

JA Our Community is recommended for students in second grade. The average time for each session is 40 minutes. Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed plans for the volunteer and materials for 30 students.

Students develop a sense of career awareness and how all jobs help a community. Session-specific, age-appropriate materials increase student interaction and emphasize JA's experiential approach to learning. Correlates to state social studies, English, and math standards, as well as to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics.