Christina Cultural Arts Center receives
“PNC Grow Up Great” Gift
PNC grant of $49,100 provides funding for an early childhood arts education program serving low-income children.
WILMINGTON, Del., September 22, 2005 – Christina Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) has received a $49,100 grant from the PNC Foundation to launch a new program that provides early childhood arts education to preschool children at three local Head Start sites.
The grant is made to CCAC through the “PNC Grow Up Great” initiative, which is dedicated to preparing young children for school and, ultimately, for life.
Connie Bond Stuart, PNC regional president, presented the grant to Raye Jones Avery, CCAC executive director, in a ceremony at the Christina Cultural Arts Center.
With monies from the PNC grant, CCAC has developed an innovative approach to teacher/ student learning through the creative arts. The goal is to improve the school readiness of low-income children ages three to five years. The new program builds on the cultural strengths of children by incorporating the creative arts into preschool settings to improve language development, literacy and parental involvement. Thirty teachers will become in-house resources by taking part in 24 weeks of rigorous training provided by CCAC.
The arts education program began September 19 at Wilmington Head Start, Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood House and Newark Day Nursery. Eventually, the program will benefit 300 children in 10 Head Start/ECAP (Early Childhood Assistance Program) classrooms.
“PNC Grow Up Great” gift funds arts education program
PNC Grow Up Great is the company’s $100 million, 10-year initiative to improve school readiness among children from birth to age five. The program has four key components: grants, volunteerism, education and awareness, and advocacy. PNC Grow Up Great has partnered with nationally renowned education experts Sesame Workshop, PBS member stations, Family Communications, Inc. and Head Start.
“We know that children develop much of their ability to learn between birth and age five, long before they set foot in the classroom,” said PNC Regional President Connie Bond Stuart. “Through PNC Grow Up Great, we are providing resources to community partners like Head Start, Christina Cultural Arts Center and others to make sure that every child is ready for school and has a strong foundation for learning.”
In Delaware, PNC has made nearly $100,000 in Grow Up Great grants since 2004. The grants include $49,100 to Christina Cultural Arts Center and $31,000 to Christina Early Childhood Assistance Program for its Second Step violence prevention program. In August 2004, PNC donated 5,000 multimedia school readiness kits, created by Sesame Workshop, to state-funded preschool programs throughout Delaware. Recipients of the “Happy, Healthy Ready for School” kits included Delaware’s ECAP programs, Head Start centers and preschoolers with disabilities.
“At PNC, we believe that improving school readiness equates to improving our future,” said Stuart. “As employers, PNC and all companies have a vested interest in the successful development of our children. They are the future work force of America. PNC Grow Up Great is a powerful way to do more for the youngest in our communities and achieve greater results in school readiness.”
PNC Bank is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC is one of the nation’s largest diversified financial services organizations providing consumer and business banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management; asset management; and global fund services.
