TPS Foundation Receives Funding from PNC
Special to The Truth
The Toledo Public Schools Foundation will receive $150,000
from the PNC Foundation to fund a program that will
introduce families and their young children in Lucas
Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) neighborhoods to
high-quality early learning.
Pathway to Pre-K, powered by PNC Grow Up Great® and funded
by the PNC Foundation, is hosting free educational classes
in the Weiler Homes neighborhood through May 2020. The goal
is to educate parents on the importance of teaching children
age birth to 5, and to prepare these children to enter
preschool. Pathway to Pre-K was designed to help children
become accustomed to learning outside of the home.
“It has been proven that children who begin learning early
are better prepared to succeed in school and life, yet more
than 900 children living in LMHA communities do not
participate in early learning programs for a variety of
reasons,” said Romules Durant, EdD, superintendent of Toledo
Public Schools. “The grant from the PNC Foundation will help
us fill the learning void between birth and kindergarten,
giving Toledo’s youngest residents a head start on life.”
The $150,000 grant from the PNC Foundation was provided as
part of the 15th anniversary celebration of PNC Grow Up
Great, a multi-year, bilingual initiative to support
high-quality early education.
“We wanted our grant to really make an impact, so we worked
closely with the schools and the housing authority to
determine the greatest need in the Toledo community,” said
Bill McDonnell, PNC regional president for Toledo. “We found
there was a significant need to help young children begin
learning in a friendly, non-intimidating environment, so
they’re ready for preschool and beyond.”
Pathway to Pre-K officially launched in November with a
handful of pilot classes offered at Weiler Homes. Each
session is held twice monthly for two hours, during which
parents are encouraged to engage in educational activities
with their children.
Each class begins with a variety of play activities
available to the families, such as puzzles, story time and
outdoor play. This is followed by a healthy lunch and a
lesson in life skills, such as teeth brushing, hand washing
and other basic lessons critical to young learners. Parents
will be encouraged to help their child continue learning
outside of the classroom by taking home educational
materials such as crayons, scissors, puzzles, and other
items designed to improve hand-eye coordination.
“Children are ready to begin learning at birth,” said
Demetria M. Simpson, president and chief executive officer
of Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority. “We want to give
parents the tools they need to start developing their
child’s mind right away, so they develop a love of learning
long before they go to school.”
Pathway to Kindergarten
Learning will continue each of the next two summers at the
LMHA McClinton Nunn Homes through the Pathway to
Kindergarten program. For nine consecutive weeks, parents
and children who will enter kindergarten in the fall will be
invited to attend two-hour sessions through which they will
be introduced to the expectations of kindergarten and the
school experience. The classes will focus on literacy,
productive play with peers and adapting to school norms,
such as navigating the cafeteria. All activities will
include conversational prompts to guide parents in having an
open-ended dialogue with their children, which will help
children grow their language skills.
About PNC Foundation
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding
from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com),
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 bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative
to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in
school and life. For more information, visit http://www.pncgrowupgreat.com.
About Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority
Established in 1933, Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA)
continues to provide affordable housing to adults, seniors
and children in its Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher,
Mixed-Income and market rate housing units. LMHA also
provides a myriad of programs and opportunities designed to
improve the total quality of life for our residents, with
the ultimate goal of achieving self-sufficiency.
The programs and services are the result of successful
collaborations with numerous community partners. Our current
housing portfolio consists of 2,633 Public Housing units;
4,657 Housing Choice Vouchers; 322 Low-Income Housing Tax
Credit units; 198 Market Rate units; and, 107 Homeownership
Properties. There are approximately 17,500 people who reside
in LMHA properties. Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority
partners with ALL people and organizations willing to
exchange ideas and efforts to enhance Toledo, Lucas County,
and the world.
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