Reading the Numbers

When we think about literacy, we often consider letters rather than numbers. But over the past few years, financial literacy has become ever more crucial — and more widely-discussed. And as of this past week, even Elmo has joined that discussion.

For his preliminary lessons in personal finance, Elmo learns the difference between a “need” and a “want,” emphasizing that his father likes the word “prioritize.” The three-and-a-half-year-old Elmo also learns about “deferred gratification” when he realizes that he needs four more dollars to buy a sparkly “stupendous ball” rather than a standard, less-stupendous rubber ball.

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In The News … (More!)

Expanding upon yesterday’s post, check out more news coverage for our non-profits!

What do women really want? — Earlier in April, Joan Kuriansky, executive director of Wider Opportunities for Women, contributed this opinion piece to Politico, addressing the unique concerns of women voters in this election cycle. She points out that “female voters, like men, are focused on the economy. But women care about kitchen-table issues — investments in public education, affordable health insurance, protecting Social Security, equal pay enforcement, minimum wage increases and job training … Polling shows women are more concerned than men that family income will not be enough to meet basic expenses.” But has either party addressed those concerns directly?

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7 Questions – Charles Phaneuf (Joe’s Movement Emporium)

Good morning! We’re pleased to introduce … Charles Phaneuf, managing director of Joe’s Movement Emporium/World Arts Focus in Mount Rainier. Open 7 days a week and 12 hours a day, Joe’s is home to 25 regional artists and performance groups, offers 3-4 hours of after-school programs daily, and hosts an intensive summer arts camp for low and moderate-income families. Learn even more right here …

1. What was your most interesting recent project, initiative, partnership, or event?

Working on creative ways to build our audience and generate revenue. In the past, Joe’s has been funded largely by foundation and government partners but resources are not what they used to be. We have to grow individual giving and devise creative ways to partner with businesses beyond traditional sponsorships. In the last few months, we did a percentage sale at a restaurant (Hank’s Tavern in Hyattsville) that was also a preview event for shows in our season, so it brought artistic content out to the community and had an audience development goal. We’re working with Hank’s, our local framing shop (Fountain Framing) and hopefully some other businesses to create offers for Deals for Deeds, which we won two weeks ago. We hope that these efforts and others will help build a deeper relationship with our partners and audiences while also funding programs so that we don’t have to cut services and can continue to grow.

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Question for the Day (cont)

Rereading yesterday’s post just now, the following statistic kept leaping out at me:

Studies dating to the 1960s have suggested that children’s experiences inside the classroom are responsible for as little as 20 percent of their overall educational development.

20 percent. For all the focus placed upon on test scores and grading and ranking, the success of a particular student relies (by 80 percent) on factors that their school never sees — of which they might not even be aware. Catalogue Executive Director Barbara Harman made a key point in her response to the NY Times article yesterday:

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Question for the Day

From the “The Fragile Success of School Reform in the Bronx,” NY Times, April 6, 2011:

Upon arrival at [Middle School] 223, students pass through a gantlet of smiling teachers. [Principal Ramon] Gonzalez requires that faculty members stand outside their doors at the start of the school day, part of his effort to set the school off from the grim streets surrounding it. “In our location, kids have to want to come to school,” he says. “This is a very sick district. Tuberculosis, AIDS, asthma rates, homeless shelters, mental-health needs — you name the physical or social ill, and we’re near the top for the city. Which means that when our kids come to school in the morning, when they come through that door, we have to welcome them.”

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Pictures for the Day

Today, catch a glimpse into … Community Help In Music Education (CHIME), which reaches students in 80 DC public schools, teaching them about the music of different cultures and inviting them to experience new instruments for the first time.

In the spring, CHIME brings twenty-two Music Around the World programs to five schools. In the first two photos, kids in kindergarten through 2nd grade take part in world musician Bill Jenkins “Latin Percussion” program and form a cha-cha rhythm band! In the third, Tom Teasley teaches 3rd through 5th graders all about digital music.

(photo by Beki Radovinovic)

(photo by Beki Radovinovic)

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In The News …

Welcome to Wednesday, Greater Washington! What’s new this week?

Venture Philanthropy Partners invests $1.4M in youth programs — the Washington Business Journal reported on Monday that the philanthropic investment organization “will invest a total of $1.4 million over two years in two Washington area youth programs.” And those two youth programs also happen to be … Catalogue non-profits! According to the VPP press release, Metro TeenAIDS and Urban Alliance are now partners “in youthCONNECT, an integrated effort to address the multifaceted challenges facing low-income youth, ages 14-24, in the National Capital Region … [with] a goal of expanding to provide 20,000 at-risk youth over the next five years.” Very exciting!

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7 Questions – Sara Strehle Duke (Encore Stage & Studio)

It’s spring! Well, not quite. But it certainly feels like it. So welcome to early spring and welcome to “7 Questions” … Sara Strehle Duke, the Executive Director of Encore Stage & Studio. With over 165 full-scale, high-quality plays to its name, Encore is a unique educational community theatre, providing opportunities both onstage and backstage to kids of all ages. Read on to learn more!

1. What was your most interesting recent project, initiative, partnership, or event?

We just wrapped up our production of Night at the Wax Museum: the Musical. There were awakened wax figures, undercover agents, and high schoolers (!) running all over the stage, stopping every now and then to do a dance number. I particularly enjoyed this production because it allowed our student actors to tackle some pretty interesting historical characters: Henry VIII, Butch Cassidy, Cleopatra, Madame Ching, and Lizzie Borden to name a few. The cast and crew did a wonderful job. I think we all had fun with it and learned a little as well.

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