‘Tis the season of giving and, to that end, employees of Bridgepoint Education and Ashford University took part in the Junior Achievement (JA) Teach Day on Wednesday, December 11 at Pomerado Elementary School, located in the Poway community of San Diego.
Drawing on their real-world perspective and real-work experience, volunteers from Bridgepoint Education and Ashford University spent part of their workday teaching students from kindergarten through fifth grade what it is like to be an adult in the business world. Using class materials created by JA, the lesson plans were designed to broaden elementary school children’s view of how the world works for adults.
Brandi Pickens, community relations coordinator for Bridgepoint Education, volunteered in one of Pomerado Elementary School’s fifth grade classrooms. “It truly is amazing to see how much these kids know at such a young age,” Pickens said. “In one of their projects, students were asked to create an advertisement for a product that their company would sell. We had a blast seeing the wonderful and creative products these kids came up with.”
In addition to offering the expertise of employee volunteers, Bridgepoint Education also supported JA’s Teacher Enrichment Program with a monetary donation.
Earlier this year, more than 120 employees of Bridgepoint Education and Ashford University participated in Junior Achievement’s annual Bowl-a-Thon fundraiser event held on March 13.
Both the Teacher Enrichment Program and the Bowl-a-Thon were coordinated as part of an ongoing relationship between Bridgepoint Education and Junior Achievement that’s been in existence for more than six years.
“Our goal with these events is to continue to raise money for Junior Achievement and to also reinforce within our culture the importance of giving back to the community that supports us,” said Jennifer Love Bruce, associate vice president of community relations for Bridgepoint Education. “Two of Bridgepoint’s philanthropic focus areas are youth and education. By supporting Junior Achievement, we are supporting an organization that provides valuable education to children throughout the region.”
Junior Achievement’s “what adults do” learning experience is at the core of JA Teach Day. Children in the classroom are exposed to different facets of an adult’s workday experience, and JA lessons relate big-picture economic concepts and responsibilities to each student’s experience in their family, community, and country. More information on Junior Achievement of San Diego and Imperial Counties can be found on their website at jasandiego.org.
About Bridgepoint Education
Enrichment, integrity, and innovation – these are the values that Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE:BPI) promotes. Through innovative education solutions such as Constellation, Thuze®, and Waypoint Outcomes, Bridgepoint is advancing learning in the digital age. Bridgepoint also owns three academic institutions – Ashford University, University of the Rockies, and Denver Learning Institute. Committed to being a socially responsible organization, Bridgepoint Education’s philanthropic efforts are directed toward education, youth, and the military community. For more information, visit bridgepointeducation.com or call Shari Winet, Vice President of Public Relations, at 858.668.2580.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement Of San Diego, Inc. works locally to impact 52,000 students in K-12 classrooms in the 2013-2014 school year. Junior Achievement’s financial literacy programs take thousands of volunteers who lead classes and experiential programs. For more information on programs in San Diego and Imperial Counties, please visit www.jasandiego.org.