PNC Awards Local Grow Up Great Grant To Arlitt Center At UC

“PNC Grow Up Great,” the $100 million investment in early childhood education by the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., held its national kickoff on March 24 by announcing $500,000 in grants, the makeup of an advisory council of experts, and a print and broadcast media campaign to increase public awareness of the need to raise the nation’s level of school readiness.

PNC created this program to better prepare children from birth to age five for school through grants to non-profit early education organizations, volunteerism, advocacy and awareness during the next 10 years.

The initial “PNC Grow Up Great” Head Start Demonstration Project grant in the Ohio/Northern Kentucky market, amounting to nearly $50,000, is being awarded to the Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center at the University of Cincinnati. The demonstration project is a collaborative effort between the Arlitt Center and the Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Institute (CPI). This project is entitled “Really Ready to Learn.” 

The Arlitt Child Development Center has provided services through a curriculum grounded in educational research and child development theory to Greater Cincinnati children ages 3-5 and their families for over 75 years.  The center serves as a demonstration site for early childhood education.  Approximately half of the children served are funded by Head Start while others are funded through tuition.

According to Dr. Victoria Carr, director of the Arlitt Center and chair of the Early Childhood Education Faculty at the University of Cincinnati, the demonstration project aims to get to the core of what it takes for children to be really ready to learn when they start kindergarten.  Versus drill and practice, children are encouraged to learn through problem solving, hands-on activities, experimental methods, and inquiry approaches to learning within academic content areas.

“Some inner-city children are unable to focus on learning due to their early childhood experiences of poverty, community violence and family disruption,” Dr. Carr said.  “Working with CPI, our project goal is develop a child-focused intervention model to increase positive social/emotional outcomes and approaches to learning skills among these children.  CPI mental health specialists will help identify and intervene on-site to remove the psychosocial barriers to learning, thus enabling the children to be more successful.”
       
The project further includes the development of training modules for early childhood educators and therapists so that the model created in the “PNC Grow Up Great “Demonstration Project can be replicated in other programs.

PNC volunteers will be engaged in activities related to their skills and interest.  These may include assistance with program development, classroom participation, financial advising, parent mentoring, and participation on ad hoc committees.

John T. Taylor, president of PNC Bank, Ohio/Northern Kentucky market, said, “We are delighted to support the Arlitt Center and Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Institute in developing this unique approach to leveling the playing field for children entering school.  Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, and we believe this program can enable success where it might not have been possible before.”

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) is one of the nation’s largest diversified financial services organizations, providing regional community banking; wholesale banking, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management; asset management and global fund services.