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12/10/2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies

McGraw-Hill Companies

 

The McGraw-Hill Companies

 

WHAT WE DO:

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global education and financial information company that plays a crucial role in the knowledge economy with leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has approximately 21,000 employees with more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Increasing financial literacy and economic empowerment have been long-standing initiatives of The McGraw-Hill Companies, and for that reason we are pleased to be a member of  the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy®.  Since 1997, the Corporation has leveraged its vision of creating a smarter, better world where everyone can achieve their full potential by supporting innovative programs and partnering with nonprofit organizations that help individuals gain the knowledge necessary to make wise savings, credit and spending decisions. To that end, the Corporation has initiated a Campaign for Financial Literacy Now  www.financiallitnow.org , which is a joint effort of The McGraw-Hill Companies, the Council for Economic Education, Literacy Partners, Inc., The New York Public Library, Talking Fin Lit and W!SE (Working in Support of Education).

WHAT WE OFFER:

The Campaign is leveraging the expertise of McGraw-Hill and its non-profit partners to give teachers, students and the public the resources they need to improve their understanding of important financial principles.

Among the Campaign’s activities, McGraw-Hill launched an interactive website, FinancialLitNow.Org, which provides access to content, games and tools. Earlier this year, McGraw-Hill and The New York Public Library unveiled a new Financial Literacy one-stop center which offers online support, one-on-one counseling and educational workshops. Financial Literacy Central is expected to reach 20,000 patrons by the end of this year. Other Campaign resources include professional development for teachers such as in-class and online training sessions led by business and economic experts and podcasts that offer information, resources and insights about incorporating personal finance into a variety of studies and that are expected to reach tens of thousands of educators.

WHAT’S NEW:

The Campaign has begun an initiative to target some of the nation’s youngest students. To underscore the need, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by The McGraw-Hill Companies of parents and teachers of elementary school age children:

  • About one-third of parents and educators (29 and 30% respectively) reported children already showing an interest in money matters in kindergarten.
  • An overwhelming percentage of parents (91%) feel it their responsibility to reinforce money management topics to kids at home, and an almost identical number (93%) are currently teaching these lessons to their kids at home.
  • Both parents and teachers agree that it is important to work together; nearly half (47%) of parents said it was the responsibility of both teachers and parents to         teach these topics to elementary age children. 
  • While 35 % of teachers say money management topics are being taught at their schools, 72 % feel they do not have sufficient resources to teach money-related topics to elementary school students.

To respond, The McGraw-Hill Companies has underwritten the first print run of The Nickels, Dimes, and Dollars Book: A Wise Kid’s Guide to Money Matters by award-winning children’s book author, Ellen Sabin and published by Watering Can Press and has recruited a team of several hundred  McGraw-Hill employee volunteers to deliver the content to children. Currently, McGraw-Hill volunteers are spreading out to 2nd through 5th grade classrooms in Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; Dubuque, Iowa; New York City; and Monterey, California, to interactively read the book with 5,000 students, who are each sent home with a free copy. A Teachers Guide and Parents Guide are available at www.financiallitnow.org. 

CONTACT INFORMATION:

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Manager, Corporate Contributions

The McGraw-Hill Companies

(212) 512-6480.

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