Education and Human Services receives $375,000 grant from PNC Foundation
Central Michigan University has been awarded a $375,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to benefit education programs around campus. A five-year $150,000 grant to support CMU's Child Development and Learning Laboratory is included in the package.
“CMU’s Child Development and Learning Laboratory is one of the leading programs of its kind in Michigan,” said Tim Salisbury, PNC Financial Services Group regional president for mid-Michigan. “PNC supports this type of programming because it will greatly impact local families while serving as a national model for pre-K education.”
The grant will also help CMU establish a visiting educator program to bring educators, international artists or scholars to campus, according to a university-issued press release. The program will offer workshops and education opportunities for pre-kindergarten children, as well as students and faculty at CMU.
A part of the PNC Grow Up Great program, the grant is also a component of a $350 million initiative to increase early childhood education, according to the press release. PNC Foundation has given $120,000 to CMU in the past for similar programs.
“This award from PNC Bank strengthens our program by providing a unique opportunity for children, their families and the community,” said Margaret Desormes, director of CDLL. “Being able to have a resident artist, Roberta Pucci from Italy, working directly with young children will provide many opportunities for professional development within the early childhood community and help the children express their ideas through art.”
CDLL is a part of the College of Education and Human Services' Human Development and Family Studies Area. It is a training and research center for students and faculty. The CDLL program enrolls 68 preschool children every year with at least half of the children being participants in national early childhood education Head Start programs.
