Kohl's renews partnership with Junior Achievement of Wis.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s has renewed its partnership with Junior Achievement of Wisconsin and donated to the organization $1.5 million throughout a three-year period to support and expand the JA Kohl’s Education Center.

The additional funding will allow Junior Achievement to increase the use of technology in the center so local schools and teachers have opportunities to combine classroom learning with real-world situations. Participating Milwaukee-area students in grades 4-12 learn work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

The donation comes from Kohl’s philanthropic program Kohl’s Cares, which sells special merchandise, including plush toys and books, and donates 100% of the net profit to benefit children’s health and education initiatives nationwide.

“We are pleased to continue our partnership with Junior Achievement and facilitate the growth of the JA Kohl’s Education Center,” said chairman, president and CEO Kevin Mansell. “Kohl’s applauds Junior Achievement’s commitment to providing excellent educational experiences that empower students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to the real world, and Kohl’s is proud to be in a position to support such a valuable program for local students.”

The center will be able to implement tablet technology to incorporate social media, which will allow students to tweet their thoughts to guided questions in real-time through the simulation. This enhancement will also allow teachers to incorporate these tweets into post-visit classroom discussions. It will also be able to add electronic debit cards to the students’ shopping experience so they can manage their purchases and learn more about the purpose and services of financial institutions. A digital shopping kiosk will introduce students to the e-commerce experience and is reflective of real world purchasing options. With a digital shopping kiosk, students will be able to purchase an item “online,” which will be delivered to the student later in the simulation. Junior Achievement of Wisconsin will be the first program in the country to expand learning through the introduction of kiosk shopping technology into its simulation.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Kohl’s as it will enhance the learning applications offered to local students through the JA Kohl’s Education Center,” said Tim Greinert, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin’s president. “Financial literacy and work readiness are crucial life skills and, through this best-in-class programming in the JA Kohl’s Education Center, we’re able to engage students early on in meaningful and memorable ways to arm them with the skills they need as adults.”