James E. Rohr, chairman and chief executive officer of PNC, made the presentation to William L. Librera, Ed.D., commissioner, Department of Education, state of New Jersey, in a ceremony at the Princeton Nursery School. The gift will be shared among 600 state-funded, preschool programs throughout New Jersey for use as a teaching resource with preschoolers.
These multimedia "school readiness" kits are also available for free to families in all 750 PNC Bank branches in six states, including New Jersey. The kit's DVD and booklets were developed for PNC by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. PNC Grow Up Great is the company's $100 million, 10-year initiative to improve school readiness among children from birth to age five. Research shows that a five-year-old from an underserved family starts school 18 months behind his or her peers in vocabulary development, which has a profound effect on reading ability and general comprehension.
"We believe PNC Grow Up Great -- along with other initiatives to improve school readiness by Gov. James McGreevey and other education advocates -- will help close the gap between those children who are prepared to enter school and those who are not," Rohr said. "For children, starting school should be a time of learning and having fun -- with a foundation already built to help them succeed in school and life. The commitment of our employees and resources like these kits can make a difference."
"Governor James E. McGreevey and the Department of Education are committed to providing quality preschool so New Jersey's children are prepared to learn," Dr. Librera said. "The PNC Grow Up Great program demonstrates PNC's commitment to help our children and communities to achieve more, every day. PNC's support assists us in maintaining the highest standards in the nation for pre-school in our most disadvantaged school districts."
Other participants in the presentation included: Dr. Steven Barnett, PhD, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University; Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Ed.D., assistant vice president, Education and Research, Sesame Workshop; and Princeton Nursery School's acting director Deirdre McCarthy. Attendees and the school's children also were treated to appearances by Sesame Street's Rosita and walkaround Elmo, who distributed gifts of books and posed for photos.
Besides Sesame Workshop, partners in PNC Grow Up Great also include PBS member stations and Family Communications, Inc., the producers of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." PNC's first-year pilot program will focus on Head Start centers and other non-profit, early education organizations throughout PNC's primary region of Delaware, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Award-Winning Resource for Kids
The "Happy, Healthy Ready for School" kit consists of: a DVD featuring the Sesame Street Muppets getting ready for school; a colorful parent/child activity book with activities on sharing, cooperating and tips for parents; and special 24-page Sesame Street Parents magazine that focuses on "Getting a Healthy Start," "Social & Emotional Readiness" and "Language and Learning."
The kits are being distributed to children and parents (one per family) and nonprofit early education centers via PNC Bank branches and can also be requested via 1-877-PNC-GROW and pnc.com. Winner of a Silver Screen Award in children's programming by the U.S. International Film and Video Festival, the kit's 22-minute DVD follows Sesame Street's Elmo as he prepares for the first day of pre-school. His pals Rosita and Telly along with the specially created "Readies" -- Betty, Eddy and Stan -- guide Elmo through the best ways to enjoy the school experience and what to expect when you get there.
"Sesame Street was born out of the identified need to help all children get ready for school," said Karen Gruenberg, executive vice president, Content, Sesame Workshop. "Today, we are proud to join with PNC as a partner in promoting the benefits of early childhood education to new audiences targeting young parents. This remains a most critical cause in our country and we're excited to expose our important messages through this unique distribution partnership."
An estimated 40 percent of the nation's children reach fourth grade unable to read with proficiency, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
PNC's Comprehensive Approach
As the nation's largest corporate-sponsored school readiness program of its kind, PNC Grow Up Great is intended to help children, families and communities become smarter, stronger and healthier. On June 16, the program received a "Moving into the Future" Award by the Families and Work Institute for its "comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to addressing the issue of school readiness." PNC's program has four key components:
Grants: The PNC Foundation awarded $503,000 in grants to 12 early education centers in March. Nearly $40 million of PNC's overall investment will be devoted to grants to non-profit early education organizations over the next 10 years. Volunteerism: About 4,000 PNC employees have expressed interest in volunteering. Under a progressive new policy, full-time employees are eligible for up to 40 hours of paid time off to volunteer in this program. Opportunities include: tutor children; lead financial literacy seminars for parents; serve as board members, technology consultants; painting and upkeep among other roles. Over the past three years, PNC employees have volunteered one million hours to numerous community causes. Education & Awareness: Public awareness announcements in print, broadcast and Internet outlets (including http://www.pnc.com/) were launched in March to heighten knowledge of the issue and highlight resources for children, parents and educators. The program combines the strengths and public outreach of PNC and its partners along with select TV network affiliates and public TV stations in unprecedented community partnerships. Advocacy: PNC and its partners are creating visibility and discussion to heighten interest and influence public policy. On June 3, Rohr spoke to Fortune 100 firms at the Corporate Voices for Working Families conference in Washington, D.C. PNC's Advisory Council is composed of well-known researchers, authors and nonprofit leaders, including Dr. Barnett and Dorothy Strickland, Ph.D., of Rutgers University. Locally based committees led by PNC's Regional Presidents, including Thomas Gregor in New Jersey, are helping to direct resources and implement day-to-day operations.
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in children's lives around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. The Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries with award-winning programs like Dragon Tales and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat and ground breaking multi-media productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia. These are among many Workshop endeavors recognized for their deep understanding of children's developmental needs and the most effective ways to address them. Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from sales of Sesame Street, Dragon Tales and Sagwa products right back into its educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop online at http://www.sesameworkshop.org/ .
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. 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.
PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
© 2004 PR Newswire
