Spring has sprung!

And guess what? We’re growing! We’ve added a whole new product line to our seed mix. If you want your students to bloom into financially literate and economically responsible human beings, and you are ready to ante up your Personal Finance curriculum, we’ve got some good dirt to share.

(Are you digging our gardening metaphors or ready for us to pack in the shovel? Excuse us while we chuckle into the flap on our bib overalls a moment...)

We’re proud to introduce the TimeMAPS Money Management and Life Skills Program during April, National Financial Literacy Month. Now more than ever we need to ensure that everyone takes personal responsibility for their own economic security and financial future. When we all have our checkbooks balanced and our spending habits under control, it benefits everyone. The recent turmoil in the world economy is evidence of that.

Let us help you add interactivity and the amazing Life Simulator to your Personal Finance, Consumer Education, Business Education or Finance coursework. TimeMAPS can help your students flourish into financially responsible individuals or even future financiers.

Introducing TimeMAPS
A new, interactive curriculum and software for Personal Finance!

TimeMAPS stands for Time Management for Achieving Personal Success. We make so many financial decisions in our lives that have an impact on our future and our economic security. Many of us learn them the hard way. Some of us are still trying to figure out how to balance our checkbooks.

If you or your students ever feel intimidated by financial concepts, TimeMAPS is the solution for all of you! TimeMAPS is designed to introduce important financial concepts gradually, giving students a means to practice skills before moving on to more advanced subject matter. An interactive software program allows them to make decisions and see the impact of their choices on their budget and lifestyle. What makes this program even more special is the Life Simulator. While some personal finance curricula use games to reinforce lessons, TimeMAPS takes students on a realistic life journey, where they can experiment with choices, apply important financial skills and see the results throughout the years from high school to retirement. Will their decisions help them achieve their desired lifestyle, career, and future plans? Charts, graphs and 140+ interactive examples and exercises bring multiple concepts together.

TimeMAPS can be offered as a complete curriculum, but it’s flexible enough for you to pick and choose lessons if you would like to add some interactivity to an existing program. Best of all, the quality and breadth of the lessons make it a great fit for Business Education, Finance and Marketing, too.

What’s in it for you? A whole wheelbarrow full of great features!

• Aligned with Perkins funding
• Meets national standards for Personal Finance education (Jump$tart Coalition)
• Never out of date—uses the most recent government data, updated annually
• Integrates technology into the classroom
• Provides all information so you don’t have to be a financial expert
• Comprehensive lesson plans, student materials, projects and ready-made assessments
• Interactivity that engages students and allows independent learning

Check out our online demo to learn more about this exciting program, explore the software overview on our web site, and then talk to your Product Consultant today. Ask about how you can get FREE product with a basic site license. It’s available for a limited time, so get in touch with us soon!

Did you see Baby in Time Magazine?

In the March 30, 2009 issue of Time, RealCare Baby was pictured front and center with educator Kristen Jordan and one of her students. The article was “How to End the War Over Sex Ed.” Ms. Jordan is using the RealCare Program, among other strategies, to help prevent teen pregnancy in South Carolina.

She is employed by IMPACT, a teen pregnancy prevention program (www.aoimpact.org), which was instituted in Anderson County schools. “It actually makes a big difference that I don't work for the school," Ms. Jordan says. "The kids feel free to call me, even at home at night, and discuss their issues. I'm not there to judge them. I'm there to help them understand."

According to the Time article, “Jordan has become a constant presence in the lives of her young charges. At Starr-Iva Middle School, she teaches two courses—one focused on basic sexuality, the other on decision-making skills—to each class in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.”

It goes on to state that she gives students “escalating levels of information” about STDs, pregnancy and contraception but she also “encourages them to delay sexual activity, works on building self-esteem and uses role-playing” to teach them how to resist peer pressure.

Despite philosophical differences on these subjects, we have educators using our products for strategies that include abstinence, contraception and everything in between because Baby gives students a realistic, personalized experience in the responsibilities and demands of caring for an infant.

We were not surprised to see Ms. Jordan with RealCare Baby because we work with many extraordinary individuals across the nation like her, who are striving to secure a more positive future for youth and ensure the health and safety of infants. We’re honored to be among the strategies in Ms. Jordan’s toolbox and in many of yours.

Shaken Baby Syndrome Simulator

We introduced the Shaken Baby Syndrome Simulator two years ago in April, during National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Since that time, schools, health organizations and community groups have used it to raise awareness for this devastating form of child abuse. The accompanying curriculum, Understanding Shaken Baby Syndrome, emphasizes the need to have a plan for coping with an inconsolable baby. Infants cry. It’s what they do. How we handle their crying can be the difference between life and death.

Thanks to all who are using the simulator to bring this life-saving message to the world. Keep up the great work!

A special shout-out to Helen Passantino who has supported us by showcasing our simulator at local child abuse prevention conferences across the great state of Georgia. We appreciate your hard work and passionate dedication. Please join us in giving Helen, and others working to prevent this undeniable form of child abuse, a round of applause during National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Helen Passantino and Shaken Baby
Syndrome Simulator at the Prevent
Child Abuse Georgia Annual Symposium.

Product Support Tip: Spring cleaning time
Dirty Baby...dirty clothing...dirty diapers...

Whether you need to clean Baby’s vinyl, clothing or diapers, we have the answers for you. Click here to view our latest and most effective cleaning suggestions.

If you have any further questions, please be sure to contact Product Support.

Product Support hours: Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. Call 800.830.1416 or email productsupport@realityworks.com or refer to the list of Frequently Asked Questions.

On the road again...

Here’s a partial list of where we are headed next. Please come and visit us at these conferences, or call ahead to reserve some time with a Realityworks representative while we’re in your area.