LOUISVILLE, KY, Nov. 29, 2021 – Join Wesley House Community Services, the PNC Foundation, Greater Louisville Head Start and other dignitaries on Dec. 9 as we dedicate an outdoor park that combines nature and learning to promote early childhood development.
The revealing of the WesKids Natural Classroom is scheduled at 10 a.m. on the campus, located at 5114 Preston Highway in Louisville. The classroom will include a mud kitchen, sand, climbing and crawling structures, a garden area, bicycle trail, a nature art area and more.
The project was funded $90,000 by the PNC Foundation in support of PNC Grow Up Great ® , a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. An additional $35,000 was donated anonymously and $25,000 was contributed through the Greater Louisville Head Start Initiative to scale up this community investment to $150,000.
“I am so thrilled to share this innovative space with children and families that would not be able to access it otherwise,” said Patricia Williams, Wesley House president and CEO. “We know the positive impact that formal early learning has on children. The natural classroom enhances the quality of learning opportunities at the next level, and I am so thankful that our partners understand and advocate for natural space.”
Wesley House Community Services addresses the challenge of access to early child experiences, head start education, and child-centered learning for marginalized groups. Reggio-inspired teaching philosophies embrace and cultivate a child’s parent as the first teacher and bridges the gap between home and school. Children guide the teaching focus, and the natural environment is a primary learning tool.
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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 Wesley House
Founded in 1903, Wesley House Community Services provides affordable child development services, out-of-school programs to school-age youth, workforce development and economic empowerment services to adults. We believe that empowering families begins with providing resources and support that has the power to transform families and communities.
