Time Warner Cable Extends Long-standing Partnership With Girlstart

BY AWARDING GRANT TO SUPPORT AFTER-SCHOOL STEM EDUCATION CAMPS

(AUSTIN) – Time Warner Cable, which has supported Girlstart’s STEM education for girls since 2011 through its Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) initiative, is extending that partnership through a grant to help fund the 2014-15 Girlstart After School programs.

The $10,000 grant will help support Girlstart’s expanding after-school program, expected to reach more than 1,000 Central Texas girls in the coming school year. This year, 45 schools in 12 Central Texas school districts will host Girlstart After School programs, compared to just 16 schools in five districts when Time Warner Cable first partnered with Girlstart five years ago.

“Time Warner Cable has been one of our most consistent corporate partners over the past five years, and we’re proud that they’re continuing that relationship through helping fund Girlstart After School,” said Tamara Hudgins, executive director of Girlstart. “This grant is helping us reach more girls than in any previous year, for a program that’s helping girls succeed in the classroom and, as we’ve recently discovered, on standardized tests.”

“We at Time Warner Cable are extremely proud of our partnership with Girlstart and the work we’ve done during these three years to inspire the next generation of young women innovators,” said Kathy Brabson, Area Vice President of Operations at Time Warner Cable. “Our Connect a Million Minds initiative has positioned our company in an important role to help solidify our commitment to the communities we serve.”

CAMM’s goal to connect one million young people to hands-on STEM learning opportunities and resources was reached on May 27. The milestone comes less than five years after President Obama and TWC announced this commitment in response to the White House’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, which is designed to move American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade.

In the past year, Girlstart’s STEM education programming for girls has been lauded by Change the Equation (a nonprofit, nonpartisan, CEO-led initiative that is mobilizing the business community to improve the quality of STEM learning in the United States), invited to participate in the U.S. News STEM Solutions conference for its second straight year, and has reached its largest student audience in its history through its DeSTEMber online education program, in partnership with a number of prominent STEM-centric organizations across the nation, including the San Diego Zoo and The Franklin Institute.

Girlstart recently published a groundbreaking, externally-verified study – quoted in Afterschool Alliance’s just-released report on effective after-school programs — showing that a representative sample of its Girlstart After School students from two Austin-area school districts outperformed non-participant peers in 5th grade STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) math and science testing.

ABOUT GIRLSTART

Girlstart, founded in Austin in 1997, is the only community-based informal STEM education nonprofit in the nation specifically dedicated to empowering and equipping girls in STEM, through year-round programming that promotes girls’ early engagement and academic success in STEM, encourages girls’ aspirations and persistence in STEM education and careers, and incubates a talented and diverse STEM workforce. Its innovative, nationally-recognized programs include after-school and summer camps for students, professional development for teachers, and community and online STEM education outreach programs.

Girlstart cultivates a culture where risk is rewarded, curiosity is encouraged, and creativity is expected. As a result, Girlstart girls are connected, brave, and resilient. Girlstart makes girls more successful, and inspires them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.

About Time Warner Cable

Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) is among the largest providers of video, high‐speed data and voice services in the United States, connecting 15 million customers to entertainment, information and each other. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers data, video and voice services to businesses of all sizes, cell tower backhaul services to wireless carriers and, through its NaviSite subsidiary, managed and outsourced information technology solutions and cloud services. Time Warner Cable Media, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions. More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.timewarnercable.com, www.twcbc.com, www.navisite.com, and www.twcmedia.com.

About Connect a Million Minds

Time Warner Cable’s (TWC) Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) is a five-year, $100 million cash and in-kind philanthropic initiative to address America’s declining proficiency in science, technology and math (STEM), which puts our children at risk of not competing successfully in a global economy. Using its media assets, TWC creates awareness of the issue and inspires students to develop the STEM skills they need to become the problem solvers of tomorrow. TWC’s national CAMM partners are CSAS (Coalition for Science After School) and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Local TWC markets are activating CAMM across the country with community-specific programs and partnerships. To learn more about Connect a Million Minds, visit www.connectamillionminds.com.