The mission of
Operation K.E.Y.S.
is to train community youth
from 9-19 in the fields of
Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, and Philanthropy.

Operation K.E.Y.S. 

believes that every young person 

should have the opportunity to learn
about finance, business, and leadership
through fun, practical, hands-on,
real-world experiences.

Money has a mission

Let's properly prepare the next generation.

Financial Literacy, Business Skills, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership Development

This exciting curriculum provides middle and high school students with an in-depth look at business ownership. Using a real-world approach, students learn the stages of a business start-up and are prepared with a working business plan to begin a not a “someday” entrepreneurial venture, but today. As they progress through the units, students conduct real-world business research, write business plans, develop marketing materials, learn to manage personal and business finances, and improve leadership, teamwork, and communication skills.

Operation KEYS

Operation KEYS believes that students learn best when classroom concepts are taught through a variety of educational games and hands-on activities. We have found that when you involve students in the learning process, they tend to comprehend more, as well as retain the information longer.

This is why we will use more than 50 games and activities that can easily be incorporated into almost any classroom. They are designed to “blast out” boredom and create opportunities for teachers to emphasize a point in order to anchor the message in the student’s minds.

The activities have been categorized by time requirements, materials needed, as well as other helpful references. But watch out! These activities have been known to turn an ordinary classroom into an extraordinary learning environment.

One note about competitions and prizes – although most students will enjoy participating in these games and activities for the sheer fun of it. It is entirely up to you. Operation KEYS instructors try to strike a balance between games and activities that are competitive and those that are not. Most of our instructors award prizes from 25% to 50% of the time, but not for all games and activities. We offer a variety of other educational resources and teaching materials to help you make learning more fun for both students and teachers.

Operation KEYS Jump Start to Business is an 8 to 16-hour curriculum that introduces the concepts of business and entrepreneurship to students age 9-19 in grades 4-12. It is appropriate for younger students who are highly motivated or for older students who need a very beginning experience in business. JumpStart to business can be expanded to a 20, 32, or 40-hour program by adding guest speakers, field trips, and additional class time for market research, writing business plans and creating flyers, signs, business cards, and other marketing materials.

Educational Standards: The Jumpstart to Business curriculum can be used to meet educational standards in language arts, math, social studies, economics, and other business subjects such as business law, accounting, and marketing. This curriculum is also aligned to the National Standards for Entrepreneurship Education set by the National Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education. 

Teaching entrepreneurship can be compared to teaching someone to dance. As an instructor, you teach the basic dance steps, but your goal is for students to go beyond just learning the right steps. You want them to take the steps you have taught them and become skillful dancers – people who enjoy dancing and will continue learning to be better dancers all of their lives.

Through the Entrepreneurship Today course, we hope students will fall in love with business and want to keep learning about business long after the course is over, and eventually become the next generation of business leaders in their communities. Most of all, we want to see today’s young people develop into productive citizens with the knowledge and skills to earn a living and support their families. As a teacher using this curriculum in your classroom, we hope you will also see this vision and be inspired to know your labors and efforts are not just about getting students to write business plans or to pass the final exam – but about actually equipping them for a better life.