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An Accountant in the AmeriTowne Utility Company prepares to hand out paychecks to his staff.
Every good business person knows that keeping track of money is important. Thanks to Eide Bailly, students learn this lesson at an early age in Young AmeriTowne and International Towne, and they do it in a hands-on way!
In Young AmeriTowne, Accountants manage the money in each shop. In addition to ensuring each of their citizens receives a physical paycheck, Accountants pay bills for their shop using an electronic payment system for utilities, rent, advertising, and health insurance. Accountants also make deposits for their shop in hopes of earning enough money to be able to pay back the bank loan. Being an Accountant isn’t all hard work. Steven*, a fifth grader from Willow Creek Elementary, attended Young AmeriTowne last spring. Sitting at his desk in Towne Hall, he said, “I wanted to be an Accountant because I kinda like doing math. So far, my job has been really fun!”
International Towne Finance Ministers keep track of their country’s revenue and expenses. The goal is to end up with a positive balance of payments at the end of the day. Finance Ministers calculate the income from product sales, exported goods, and tariffs, and subtract the cost of taxes and fees, imported goods, and salaries to determine the final balance of payments. These lessons have real-world implications, whether or not a student will grow up to work in government. Adam,* a sixth grader who attended International Towne earlier this year with Platte Valley Middle School, wrote, “Being a Finance Minister could help me later in life by keeping track of a company’s or, in this case, a country’s profit.”
AmeriTowne and International Towne provide students with a glimpse into the world of finance. Thank you Eide Bailly for enabling Accountants and Finance Ministers to gain this real-world experience at a young age.
*Names have been changed to protect the identity of minor students
