Junior Achievement of Central Ontario

About Junior Achievement of Central Ontario:

Junior Achievement of Central Ontario (JACO) is a member of Junior Achievement Canada. It aims to inspire youth and prepare them to succeed in a global economy. JACO partners with educators, volunteers and businesses to educate elementary, middle and secondary school students about financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

Junior Achievement Central Ontario’s elementary school programs focus on students in grades 5 and 6. The program Our Business World uses games and multimedia to teach students about innovation, start-ups and self-employment. In F2016, 3,398 elementary school students participated in Our Business World.

JACO's middle school programs include Dollars with Sense, Strong Together: Diversity in Action, and Economics for Success.

JACO’s Company Program is an 18-week program for students in grades 9 to 12. Students create, manage and liquidate a business with real money, real products and real customers. In F2016, 1,304 students participated in the program. The students sold more than 13,000 products, generating over $112,000 in sales. JACO also holds a Titan Challenge for high school business students. In F2016, 683 students learned about business practices in college and corporate environments.

In 2011, Junior Achievement Canada (JA Canada) engaged The Boston Consulting Group in a year-long study to measure the value of its programs across Canada. The study found that JA Canada's work has a direct impact of $105 million on Canada's economy each year. It also found that for every $1 received, JA Canada creates an annual return to society of $45. The study reports that JA Canada's alumni are 50% more likely than the average Canadian to open their own business.

Financial Review:

Junior Achievement of Central Ontario is a medium-sized charity, with donations and special events revenue of $2.3m in F2016. Its administrative costs are 25% of revenues and its fundraising costs are 12% of donations. For every $1 donated to the charity, 63 cents go towards JACO’s programs, falling just outside of Ci’s reasonable range. Junior Achievement of Central Ontario has funding reserves of $1.9m, which includes $500k in donor-endowed funds. This results in a program cost coverage ratio, excluding donor-endowed funds, of 108%, meaning that the charity can cover 1 year of program costs with its current reserves.

This charity report is an update that is being reviewed by Junior Achievement of Central Ontario. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on May 29, 2017 by Kevin Silberberg.