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Selected by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as "One of the best small charities in the Washington, DC region." 

About Us

Staff • Teaching Artists and Literacy Trainers • Board of Directors • Advisory Board • Supporters

Mission

Inner City-Inner Child (ICIC) is an innovative program with a fourteen year history working with Washington, DC's at-risk children who are on the road to low achievement and illiteracy in the city's poorest neighborhoods. Because inner-city childcare centers have become havens of safety and neighborhood cornerstones for so many poor children, ICIC's programs are concentrated in child care centers to foster the center's pursuit of high quality. Through literacy rich residencies, ICIC introduces the joy of books and reading to both children and teachers and helps create an environment that will support school readiness and children who want to read. In addition, we provide training to childcare teachers and we increase the long-term quality of inner city childcare centers by helping the centers attain national accreditation. In early 2007 we launched our newest program, Read with Me , a family literacy initiative to show low-income parents how they can become actively involved in their children's literacy and early learning.

History

Inner City-Inner Child, the outreach program of Dumbarton Concets, began in 1987 as Live Music Now!, an initiative to bring music out of the concert hall and into the isolated neighborhoods of Washington, DC. We found that the children had the greatest unmet needs in our community. As a response to this, Inner City-Inner Child was created in 1994. Today, Inner City-Inner Child is the only program in the Nation's Capital that combines children's literacy programs with the pursuit of high quality early childhood education in lower income childcare centers

Staff

Constance Zimmer, Executive Director
It’s common knowledge that young children learn best through the arts. To that end, Connie launched Inner City-Inner Child in 1994 to change the way DC’s low-income children learn, think and grow. Connie raises funds and directs all aspects of the program. She serves on the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Early Childhood Development, DC Literacy Coalition DC Learns, the Children’s House of Washington and Synetic Theater.Email Connie

Lauren Cooper, Program Director
Lauren holds a BA from Howard University in Human Development and Afro American Studies. She directs all day to day aspects of the program including evaluation. Lauren also coordinates and organizes our Thinking Thursday workshops and works closely with child care center staff to implement ICIC programs.
Email Lauren

Mimi Newcastle, Chief Financial Officer
MBA from the University of Phoenix. Mimi oversees all financial activities of the organization. She works closely with the staff, accountant and treasurer to ensure fiscal responsibility of the highest level. Email Mimi

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Teaching Artists and Literacy Trainers

Lindsey Allard, Literacy Trainer
Lindsey Allard facilitates all of our family literacy workshops, as well as a few of our Thinking Thursday trainings. She holds a B.S. from Wheelock College in Human Development and Early Childhood Education, and a M.Ed. in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Magpie (Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner), Teaching Artists
Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner, educators and musicians, are a mainstay of the ICIC program. Terry and Greg lead workshops using song, movement and sign language to introduce early reading skills. Terry holds three degrees in early childhood education, including two in special education for children with learning disabilities and emotional disturbances from Kent State University. www.magpiemusic.com

Sylvia Soumah, Teaching Artist
Sylvia has been a teaching artist with ICIC for 12 years. Sylvia combines the rhythms of African Drumming, dancing and storytelling to create active and exciting workshops for children and staff. She has been dancing and teaching African dance in Washington since 1992 and is the founder and director of Coyaba Dance Theatre. http://www.danceplace.org/content.aspx?ID=45

Ingrid Zimmer, Teaching Artist

After receiving a B.A. in Dance/Theatre from Pomona College in Los Angeles, Ingrid Zimmer toured Germany with Sharon Wyrrick’s Full Circle.  After the tour she remained in Europe to study dance at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany under the artistic direction of Pina Bausch.  While in Europe she performed with choreographers throughout Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and France. 

Since returning from Europe Ms. Zimmer has performed with Washington, DC dance companies Bowen McCauley Dance, Rincones and Company and Word Dance Theater. She has performed in national and international venues including the Kennedy Center, Sydney Harman Hall, Lansburgh Theatre, Dance Place, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, France, the Gran Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporanea in Monterey, Mexico, Jacobs Pillow in Lee, Massachusetts, Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Duke Theater in NYC.

Ms. Zimmer was the head of the dance department at the National Cathedral School and St. Albans for 10 years. Ms. Zimmer choreographs several musicals a year. Her choreography has appeared at high schools and universities in the Washington DC area as well as professional theaters such as Imagination Stage and the Kennedy Center.

Currently Ms. Zimmer performs with and is the Associate Director of Word Dance Theater. In addition, she is an artist-in-residence with Inner city/Inner child, a local arts outreach program.

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Board of Directors

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Advisory Board

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Supporters

Anonymous
Barnes and Noble
Beech Street Foundation
Walter A. Bloedorn Foundation
The Brimstone Fund
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Naomi & Nehemiah Cohen Foundation
The Charles Delmar Foundation
Dimick Foundation
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation
John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation
Philip L. Graham Fund
The Hanley Foundation
The Harman Family Foundation
The Katherine Lindsay Howell Fund
Corina Higginson Trust
Junior League of Washington
George Preston Marshall Foundation
MidAmerican Energy Holdings
The Morningstar Foundation
Neuberger Berman LLC
Opalack Foundation
PNC Bank
Steele Foundation LLC
The Washington Post Co.
WETA Ready to Learn

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Inner City-Inner Child • 3133 Dumbarton St, NW, Washington, DC 20007 • 202-965-2000