The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: PNC), today presented preschool children across Delaware with a special gift, the "Happy, Healthy, Ready for School" educational outreach kits created by Sesame Workshop for the "PNC Grow Up Great" initiative to help prepare kids for school and, ultimately, for life.
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James E. Rohr, chairman and chief executive officer of PNC, made the presentation to Valerie A. Woodruff, secretary of education, State of Delaware, in a ceremony at the YMCA of Delaware. The kits will be distributed to 5,000 children in state-funded preschool programs for use by their families to help them succeed in first grade and beyond. The gift recipients include Delaware's Early Childhood Assistance Programs, Head Start centers and preschoolers with disabilities.
These multimedia "school readiness" kits are also available for free to families in all 750 PNC Bank branches in six states, including Delaware. 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 award-winning, $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 know that children develop much of their ability to learn between birth and age five - long before they set foot in the classroom," Rohr said. "The PNC Grow Up Great initiative and our employees are working to provide parents and caregivers with resources like this kit to help young children across Delaware and other states to become strong learners at every opportunity."
"We understand the importance of ensuring that young children have a solid beginning as they start the learning process," said Governor Ruth Ann Minner. "The PNC Grow Up Great program demonstrates PNC's commitment to help our state's children to achieve more, every day. Working together with parents and educators, we can strive to ensure that every child is ready for school and has a strong foundation for learning."
Participants in the announcement included: Joan Lombardi, PhD, director, The Children's Project, Washington, D.C.; Anna Housley-Juster, assistant content director, Education and Research, Sesame Workshop; Connie Bond Stuart, president, PNC Bank, Delaware; Michael Kilroy, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, PFPC, Inc.; and Michael Graves, president, YMCA of Delaware, which hosted the event. Attendees and the YMCA's preschool children also were treated to a surprise appearance by Sesame Street's walkaround Rosita, who 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 Programs 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.
In June, PNC presented the state of New Jersey with a gift of kits to be shared among 600 state-funded, preschool programs for use as a teaching resource. PNC Grow Up Great is the nation's largest corporate-sponsored school readiness program of its kind and winner of the "Moving into the Future" Award by the Families and Work Institute for the "comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to addressing the issue of school readiness."
PNC's program has four key components: Grants: The PNC Foundation has awarded $503,000 in grants to 12 early education centers across five states, including the Christina Early Childhood Assistance Program in Delaware. 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: More than 4,000 PNC employees have registered to volunteer. Under a new policy, full-time employees are eligible for up to 40 hours of paid time off to volunteer. Employees can tutor children, lead financial literacy seminars for parents or provide 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/ ) 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. Advocacy: PNC is creating visibility and discussion to heighten interest and influence public policy. In June, 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. Locally based committees led by PNC's Regional Presidents, including Stuart, 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 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.
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SOURCE: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
CONTACT: Mary Liz Biddle of PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.,
+1-302-429-7130, or mary.biddle@pnc.com
Web site: http://www.pnc.com/
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/
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