About
http://www.coolculture.org/
Location: Brooklyn, New York Contact: Monica Abend, Program Director monica@coolculture.org |
From Cool Culture's Press Release
"Cool Culture was founded in 1999 to address the absence of low-income families in the audiences of New York’s arts, cultural, and scientific institutions. Through partnerships with 90 of New York City’s cultural institutions, which generously provide free admission, Cool Culture serves 50,000+ low-income families by connecting them with programs that empower parents in their role as their child’s first teacher and encourage a lifetime of learning. In 2011, Cool Culture families made over 180,000 visits to partner museums, which include the American Museum of Natural History, The Studio Museum in Harlem, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, El Museo del Barrio and the Queens Museum of Art." |
Cool Culture is Funded by the IMLS |
From IMLS Grant Announcement
"Cool Culture helps to build connections between museums and a new audience through its ongoing collaborative work with 90 museums and 40 early childhood learning centers in the greater New York City area. With IMLS funding Cool Culture will create a laboratory for new audiences, creating 12 new partnerships between museum educators and early childhood teachers. Through a series of seminars, participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own practice and exchange ideas on how museum educators can align their museum’s resources with community needs. Through formal presentations, peer discussion groups, and collaborative problem solving, the three-year laboratory project will deepen museum professionals’ knowledge of early childhood learning practice, outreach strategies for low income audiences, and how to align their museums’ resources and programs with community needs." |
How It Works
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The Cool Culture Family Pass
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Target Audience: Under-served families
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Cool Culture provides 50,000 under-served families free access to NYC's museums, botanical gardens and zoos.
A majority of Cool Culture families earn less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Line. For a family of four, that income amount is $47,000, making museum admission out of reach. Source: About Cool Culture
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Sustained effort over time
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Families can register for their Cool Culture Family Pass beginning in August. It expires on October 31st.
Monthly family events are promoted by the Cultural Liaisons at their centers, on Facebook, in the Family Time magazine, e-Family Time e-newsletter and The Rundown e-newsletter for Cultural Liaisons |
Active involvement of participants
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Cool Culture provides families with:
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Partnerships with other organizations
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Cool Culture partners with:
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Assessments
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Cool Culture requires Cultural Liaisons to complete a mandatory online survey in February and June about progress at their center.
[The SPELL Project will need to inquire with Cool Culture about their assessments.] |
Individual attention
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The Cool Culture Family Pledge (see appendix)
As a member of Cool Culture, each family signs a pledge to:
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Group Dynamic
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Cultural Proficiency
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Cool Culture makes materials available in English, Spanish and Chinese including the Family Guide, Family Time Magazine, Hunt Cards, Activity Guides and more
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Works through existing infrastructures: Early childhood educators
Our programs succeed by working in partnership with early childhood program and elementary school staff that have long-standing relationships with low-income families, and are therefore able to inspire parents to travel outside their communities to access cultural and educational opportunities for their children’s development. |
Cool Culture works with early childhood educators and elementary school staff who already have long-standing relationships with low-income families. Families already trust EC educators. As Cool Cultural Liaisons, the EC educators inspire parents to participate in the Cool Culture program and bring their children to as many of the 90 participating museums, botanical gardens and zoos as possible.
The Cool Culture Cultural Liaison Handbook outlines the Cultural Liaisons':
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Fun or gaming element
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Cool Culture provides Tools for Family Engagement in the Cultural Liaison Handbook including:
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