Business

Nearly every school day, about 100 Valley fifth- and sixth-graders spend a day at JA BizTown learning the values of work and community.

Now, with the help of the non-profit Local First Arizona, they also have an opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship and the benefits of good nutrition.

JA BizTown is a simulated town inside Junior Achievement's central Tempe location. It was created in 2007 by Junior Achievement in Arizona to give students an opportunity to experience running a business, working and earning a paycheck, and taking on the responsibilities of elected officials who run cities and towns.

Each year about 20,000 kids complete 20 hours of classroom preparation for BizTown. The students then go on a daylong field trip to Tempe, where they put their new skills to work.

To prepare, they study a list of occupations, including chief executive officer and chief financial officer of BizTown's businesses, as well as its mayor, then apply and interview for the positions that interest them.

The day begins with a meeting conducted by the mayor. Every CEO gets a chance to promote his or her business to the people of the town. Each student earn a paycheck and is encouraged to save some.

BizTown has a radio and television station, a grocery store, an insurance agency, restaurant, a bank, a DeVry University location and a Local First Arizona farmers market, the most recent addition.

Local First is a non-profit focused on strengthening the Arizona economy through small and local businesses. Its BizTown market teaches students to think locally and healthily.

Kimber Lanning, Local First's director, said its involvement with BizTown is important to encourage entrepreneurship.

"What we're doing is trying to teach kids to think about how they might start their own business one day, which is different from how you would go out and get a job at a bank," Lanning said.

The farmers market engages kids in an "eat this, not that" game, where students guess which food option is healthier. Harper's Nurseries and Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center sponsor the Local First market, contributing seeds and granola snacks, which the students can purchase with their paychecks.

Three positions are available within the new Local First business in the town: the entrepreneur, the farmer and the nutritionist.

The entrepreneur's chief duties are to lead the business and educate the citizens of BizTown on the benefits of starting their own companies. The farmer's job is to sell locally grown products and teach the town about harvesting its own food. The nutritionist is responsible for encouraging healthy food choices and educating others about the food they eat.

About 100 students daily participate in BizTown for an entire school day. Teachers and volunteers prepare students and then staff the day at BizTown.

The details featured in BizTown impressed volunteer Andrew Musel of the University of Phoenix. He volunteered this fall and called the town amazingly well-organized. He was impressed with the focus and work ethic of the kids.

Junior Achievement of Arizona President Joyce Richards said BizTown encourages proactive thinking in students and can motivate them to stay in school. Students have the option of visiting the DeVry University booth within BizTown. If they choose to do so and earn a "degree," their salary will increase.

"Helping students learn how important it is to stay in school shows them that there will be more choices in life," Richards said.

The variety of positions available in BizTown allows students to start thinking about what kind of work they'd like to pursue as adults.

One student from Eisenhower Elementary in Mesa said that what he looked forward to the most about BizTown was getting to work.

JA BizTown

Location: 636 W. Southern Ave., Tempe.

Program cost: $18 per student. This cost covers the classroom curriculum materials and all materials used while at JA BizTown. Limited, select dates available for $9 per student.

Group size: From 60 to 130 students per day. Smaller schools will be partnered together. Each school is asked to bring a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 26 volunteers.

Details: jaaz.org/programs/biztown/.