Education and the Bank Teller

"PNC Grow Up Great, " created by PNC Financial Service Group, is an education program with the guiding principle that "every child has the potential to do something great." PNC has partnered with Sesame Workshop with a 10-year, $100 million investment in preparing young children for school and life. In doing so, the organizations have created magazines, flashcards, DVDs and other activities to prepare children for school. Parents receive magazines and suggestion guides. The target audience of these materials, parents and caregivers of preschoolers, receive this kit at no charge. Customers driving through a PNC Bank drive-thru or cashing a check inside will receive an "Introducing Happy, Healthy, Ready for School: Learning is Everywhere" kit. What a simple approach to reach masses of people.

The materials, some for parents and other for preschoolers, are easy to use and read. All of them stress setting goals in education early for "long-term success." The ideas for parents are applicable and realistic. They covered typical preschool education ideas: hygiene, rest, healthy food, colors, manners and reading. As a bonus, perhaps because PNC is a financial institution, a large section of the materials focus on math.

"Elmo's Math Adventure" is great because while reading is an enormous component of education, math should not be ignored. Many parents know to read to their preschoolers every day, but may not know to practice math skills, too. My preschoolers, in addition to the prints of Sesame Street characters, favored the flashcards, even over the song-filled DVDs. The flashcards have everyday, home items and encourage children to name their colors and shapes. The DVDs encourage preschoolers to sing and dance, count and play. The DVDs also show parents discussing colors and counting in casual settings. Hopefully those examples reach parents, as the more natural the teaching, the easier children learn.

Instead of giving candy to my children, the PNC bank teller handed me this education kit. Replacing candy with education materials may seem corny, but the idea's fundamentals mean something. Interesting education materials handed out rather than sweet and unhealthy treats at the bank? Replacing silly and unnecessary treats with healthy and purposeful tools could be an important trend in our culture, leading to an improved education system. The more education is a natural and integral part of life, the more children will value it, leading to less apathy and a better society.

The PNC materials' message is simple: learning is everywhere. To create life-long learners and to reach children during the first five years of life is a huge step toward making them education-ready. Children who start school behind often unfortunately stay behind. PNC is reaching out to the community in such a simple, but simply fantastic way.

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