DonorsChoose.org preschool teachers in 22 states and Washington D.C. will find a pleasant surprise in their inbox this morning! Our friends at the PNC Foundation just flash funded 850 projects. We know that a great preschool experience can help students develop a lifelong passion for learning, and PNC, through its early childhood initiative, PNC Grow Up Great®, wants to support the amazing teachers who set students on the road to success.That’s not all. Starting today, PNC will also match donations to preschool projects within that same footprint. Teachers, visit our help center to find out if your next project could be eligible for doubled donations.Also starting today, we’re excited to welcome teachers in every Head Start classroom in the country. Head Start teachers have prepared over 33 million students for school, and we’re grateful that PNC’s support will help us expand to include these hard-working teachers in the DonorsChoose.org community. Head Start teachers, visit our help center to learn how to start your first project.
How does preschool help students succeed?
In 2004, PNC launched Grow Up Great, a $350 million, multi-year, bilingual program providing leadership, advocacy, funding, resources and volunteers to help parents, caregivers, educators and communities increase the potential for young children to succeed. Why focus on preschool? As described on PNC’s website:
For every dollar spent on high-quality early education, society gains as much as $13 in long-term savings. Research has proven that children who participate in high quality preschool programs are far more likely to experience greater educational achievements, strive toward higher vocational aspirations and contribute to society in adulthood.
Preschool teachers, if you need inspiration for your next classroom project, check out the PNC Grow Up Great Lesson Center. It includes free, high quality arts and science lesson plans developed by early childhood educators. You can access the resources you need to put those lessons into practice by starting a DonorsChoose.org project.
