PNC Invests in the YMCA & Bethlehem Center's Partnership for Early Learning
Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) February 12, 2014 -- The YMCA of Greater Charlotte has received a $105,000 grant from the PNC Foundation for its early learning program, Parents as Teachers. PNC, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (http://www.pnc.com), made the grant in support of the Y’s effort to prepare children for academic success and to decrease the community’s dropout rate.
Parents as Teachers is a national curriculum with a mission to provide the information, support and encouragement parents need to help their children develop optimally during the crucial early years of life. In partnership with the Bethlehem Center of Charlotte, the Y will serve families with children age 1-3 who are currently on the waiting list for Head Start, the federally funded pre-school program.
A study shows that 50% of U.S. students who drop out of school are already behind before entering kindergarten and that every dollar invested in high-quality early childhood education produces a 7 to 10 percent annual return on investment (Source: Heath Morrison, Superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools).
PNC’s investment is part of Grow Up Great, a $350 million, multi-year, bilingual initiative to help prepare children under age 5 for success in school and life.
“At PNC, our support of Charlotte area preschoolers is a strategic investment in the future of our community,” said Weston M. Andress, Regional President of Western Carolina for PNC. “Research has shown that children who are ready for kindergarten are more likely to graduate from high school, strive toward higher vocational aspirations and contribute to society later in life.”
The Parents as Teachers program includes monthly home visits from a certified Parent Educator who performs developmental screenings and provides age appropriate activities, monthly group meetings and referrals to outside agencies.
“At the Y, we believe that a parent is a child's first and most influential teacher,” said Pilar Perez, Sr. Director for Early Learning Initiatives. “The Parents as Teachers model provides the health and development information, support and encouragement parents need to build a strong foundation for their child's success in school and in life.”
The Y will provide a certified parent educator to work hand-in-hand with 25 families to ensure that their children prepared for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.
For more information, contact Blair Campbell at (704) 716-6365 or blair.campbell(at)ymcacharlotte(dot)org.
About the YMCA of Greater Charlotte
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The YMCA of Greater Charlotte, comprised of 19 Y branches and two resident camps, engages approximately 292,000 men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Deeply rooted in the community for 140 years, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. http://www.ymcacharlotte.org
About PNC
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. For more information, please visit http://www.pncgrowupgreat.com, http://www.facebook.com/pncgrowupgreat and http://www.youtube.com/PNC or follow @PNCGrowUpGreat on Twitter.
Molly Thompson, YMCA of Greater Charlotte, http://www.ymcacharlotte.org, +1 (704) 716-6238, [email protected]
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