PNC hits milestone for early learning initiative
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPNC Bank is marking 20 years for its initiative aimed at impacting children from birth through age five. The Pittsburgh-based bank’s Grow Up Great program is having an impact across the county, including in Indiana.
The bank has doled out $2 million in grants to early learning centers in Indiana, and its workers have contributed over 5,000 volunteer hours in the state.
Nina Woodbury has worked at Day Early Learning Center for infants and toddlers on the near west side of Indianapolis for nearly 14 years. She told Inside INdiana Business that the financial needs of caregivers continue to grow.
“Things are not getting less expensive, and teachers are not making significantly more money,” she said. “Teachers who are dedicated to the work will many times spend their own money. They’re not required to, but they do it out of love and commitment to the children. And dollars only go so far. Any dollars that we can get is potentially making life better for the children we care for.”
The Grow Up Great program provides funding for materials, books, playground equipment, teacher training and more.
Jason Eckerle, president of PNC Bank Southern & Central Indiana, says in addition to funding, the program sends teams of volunteers to various early learning centers.
“They’re going to read to the kids. They’re going to put together games and things for them, outdoor equipment and playscapes, that sort of thing,” Eckerle said. “And we’ve had an impact on a variety of different organizations.”
Early Learning Indiana is an inaugural partner in the Grow Up Great program, and CEO Maureen Weber said private sector initiatives like Grow Up Great are planting seeds for filling the state’s talent pipeline.
“It’s critically important that we understand there’s sort of a symbiotic relationship here,” Weber said. “We are really serving a two-generational purpose: helping supply today’s workforce and at the same time, train the workforce of 20 years down the road. And so we’ve really appreciated that businesses like PNC that have recognized that and support our efforts as we make their work possible.”
Eckerle echoed that sentiment, noting the program is a clear workforce development effort.
“If these parents don’t have access to early learning for their kids, it’s an economic issue, not just an educational issue,” he said. “If they don’t have access, and they can’t participate in the labor force, there’s real economic impact.”
Looking ahead, Eckerle said the bank is using the 20th anniversary of the program to focus on outdoor recreation. He said there is a $5 million grant pool to support that focus.
“The research shows that kids aren’t getting outside enough,” he said. “So we’re trying to spend little bit more time building playscapes and outdoor equipment, allowing these early learning centers that have these kids get outside and spend more time outside.”