Volunteer Role
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Provide guidance to participants.
Facilitate activities.
Monitor participant progress.
Collect necessary materials at end of day.
Schedule
and
Checklist
Volunteers are given a
schedule and a checklist to
follow. JA Staff will
announce the times when we
move from one activity to
the next.
Participant Portfolio
• Make sure participants
write their Name on the
Portfolio.
• In this portfolio are several
forms that participants will
be required to fill out.
• Participants should fill out
their pink checklist as they
complete activities
throughout the day.
JA Finance Park
Portfolio
JA Finance Park Card & Life Situation Profile
• Volunteers will pass out the JA Finance Park
Debit Cards to all participants.
• Cards will have a magnetic stripe,
business name, and account # on the back
of the card.
• Participants will log on the computers in JA
Finance Park and print a Life Situation
Profile Sheet.
Participant Log-In Screens
Step 1
Participants log in by
sliding their JA Finance
Park Card through the card
reader on the computer and
then clicking ENTER.
Participant Log-In Screens
Step 2
Participants print their
Life Situation by
clicking Print. Once they
have their printout,
participants click
Continue.
Participant Log-In Screens
Step 3
Participants print their
Guidelines and
Actual Budget by
clicking Print. Once
they have their
printout, participants
click Continue.
Participant Log-In Screens
Step 4
Participants slide their cards
through the card reader to
enter their Account Number
and type in their PIN from
the Life Situation printout.
Click the LOGIN button to
continue.
Participant Log-In Screens
Step 5
Participants type their first
and last names, then click the
CONTINUE button. The
next screen asks if they have
spelled their name correctly.
Once complete, the next
participant may log in.
Some participants will
receive a Lucky Chance on
their Life Situation. They
will need to record this
additional income amount
on their Net Monthly
Income worksheet.
• As soon as participants
log onto the computers
and receive their Life
Situation printouts, they
will use this information
to complete their Net
Monthly Income (NMI)
worksheet.
• Volunteers will need to
check each NMI. An
answer key will be
provided in each
business’s volunteer
binder.
During The Big Search
participants go to the
different businesses and
collect options sheets
For those businesses in
the left column, they
simply pick up a preprinted option sheet.
For those
businesses in the
right column, they
log onto the
computer and
print out an option
sheet.
Line #
OPTION SHEET
SAMPLE
(collected during The Big
Search session of the day.)
• Participants can collect
option sheets in any order.
• Participants should not fill
out option sheets at this
time.
Some participants
will receive an
Unlucky Chance on
their Life Situation.
They will need to
record this additional
expense amount on
their Guidelines and
Actual Budget.
GUIDELINES AND
ACTUAL BUDGET
WORKSHEET
The Budget Puzzle
It’s now time to make the
budget decisions based upon
the option sheets they have
collected.
Participants make choices for each option for their family. Once they’ve
made their decisions, they add up all expenses in column 3 and subtract
this number from their NMI. Participants must not spend more than their
NMI. Volunteers provide practical advice during this time of the day.
Home Improvement and Furniture
Option Sheets
These options simulate purchasing
using credit.
Participants have spent the amount
in the Purchase Price column,
received their monthly statement
from the bank and must now make
their monthly payment. The
monthly payment must be between
their minimum and maximum
guidelines.
PAYING BILLS IN JA FINANCE PARK
Participants use their JA
Finance Park Card and PIN to
pay their bills at each business
(the amounts they’ve written in
the 3rd column on the
Guidelines and Actual Budget
sheet).
PAYING BILLS IN JA FINANCE PARK
Participants MUST return to
AIG and Chevrolet.com
prior to visiting ING Direct
Bank. At ING Direct, they
will make their savings
deposit, car payment and
house loan payments.
Participants should complete the transaction column each time they make a
payment at a JA Finance Park business. When all payments are made,
participants see a JA Staff person to review their budget. The Final Balance
CANNOT be Negative, and should be between $0 and $100!
BUDGET REVIEW
At the end of the day a budget
recap is printed for each
participant and given to their
teacher. It shows the total
picture for the participant
given their assigned life
situation and the decisions
that they made.
JA Staff conducts a review to
close the day.