Zeno

ZENO ENVISIONS A RACIALLY JUST WORLD WHERE EVERY CHILD AND FAMILY ARE A DOER AND LOVER OF MATH. MOST PEOPLE ALREADY BELIEVE THE MYTH THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE BORN GOOD AT MATH AND SOME ARE NOT. THIS PREVALENT ASSUMPTION IN TEACHING PRACTICES LEAVES SOME CHILDREN BEHIND WHILE OTHERS THRIVE IN DEVELOPING THEIR MATH ABILITIES. FOR CHILDREN OF COLOR, THE IMPACT OF THIS ASSUMPTION IS EXACERBATED BY THE IMPLICIT BIAS AND RACIALIZED STEREOTYPES THEY CONFRONT WITHIN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS, WHERE LOW EXPECTATIONS AND LACK OF VALUE IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT LEAD TO CHILDREN OF COLOR NEVER DEVELOPING A LOVE OF MATH. ZENO PARTNERS WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO DELIVER PLAY-BASED AND FAMILY-FOCUSED MATH PROGRAMS WHICH LEVERAGE THE PARENTING ADULTS ROLE AS A CHILD'S FIRST TEACHER. MORE THAN AN ACADEMIC SUBJECT, MATH IS A LIFE SKILL. FROM COMPARING PRICES IN THE GROCERY STORE, TO MANY OF THE JOBS OF THE FUTURE, ONE CAN'T ACHIEVE LEADING A FULL LIFE WITHOUT BASIC MATH SKILLS. ZENO WANTS TO ENSURE THAT EVERY CH

ZENO HAS AN ESTABLISHED TRACK RECORD OF WORKING IN A EDUCATIONAL SPACES WHERE RACIAL EQUITY IS THE KEY LEVER FOR CHANGE. WE START WITH HONORING THE AGENCY, DIGNITY, AND INHERENT STRENGTHS OF BIPOC COMMUNITIES. BY DISRUPTING SYSTEMIC RACISM, WE CAN ENSURE THAT RACE IS NOT A FACTOR IN THE ACQUISITION OF MATH SKILLS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOVING TO LEARN. WE DO THIS BY:STARTING EARLYMATH AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF ACADEMIC PURSUIT IS MORE THAN COMPUTATION. IT'S A LANGUAGE AND A WAY OF THINKING, AND JUST LIKE LANGUAGE IT'S EASIEST TO ACQUIRE WHILE YOUNG. INCLUDING FAMILIESWE BELIEVE THAT PARENTING ADULTS ARE A CHILD'S FIRST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL TEACHER, AND WE KNOW THAT CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH FAMILIES IS CRITICAL WHEN YOU ARE WORKING WITH FAMILIES FROM DIVERSE COMMUNITIES.WORKING WITH PARTNERSZENO HONORS COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES AND WORKS CLOSELY WITH PARTNERS THAT HAVE LONG-STANDING COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS. WE KNOW THAT WORKING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT APPROACH TO REACH THE MOST FAMILIES. CENTERING RACIAL EQUITYWE ALL SHARE A COMMON DUTY TO DISMANTLE THE RACISM WITHIN OUR INSTITUTIONS, POLICIES, AND BELIEFS THAT PREVENT OUR SOCIETY FROM ADVANCING AS AN EQUITABLE NATION. ALL OF OUR WORK FROM PROGRAM AND GAME DESIGN TO OUR STAFF AND BOARD CONSIDERS THE IMPACT OF RACE, PLACE, LANGUAGE, AND CULTURE.MAKING MATH FUN RESEARCH EMPHASIZES PLAY BECAUSE IT ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THEIR LEARNING. PLAY IS THE WORK OF CHILDHOOD. ZENO DESIGNED GAMES PROVIDE THE INSPIRATION AND EASY CONNECTION TO FOUNDATIONAL MATH CONCEPTS. THE GAMES CREATE STRUCTURE, FOCUS AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN WITH THEIR PARENTING ADULTS.ZENO IS IN A GROWTH PHASE. WE DEVELOPED AND PILOTED OUR FIRST FAMILY MATHWAYS PROGRAM REACHING 250 FAMILIES IN SEATTLE IN 2016 AND WE GREW TO REACH 5,300 FAMILIES ACROSS 16 COUNTIES IN WASHINGTON IN OUR 2020-2021 PROGRAM YEAR.