The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to fund field trips to the Ward Museum for eight Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms. PNC provided the funding in support of Grow Up Great, its bilingual program in early childhood education. The field trips provide area Pre-K and kindergarten students the opportunity to visit the Ward Museum and experience the Growing Up Wild: Exploring Nature with Young Children program at no cost. Growing Up Wild is an early childhood education program that builds on children’s sense of wonder about nature and invites them to explore wildlife and the world around them. Through a wide range of activities and experiences, Growing Up Wild provides a foundation for developing positive impressions about nature and lifelong social and academic skills. The PNC Foundation provided funding to the Ward Museum to launch the Growing Up Wild program in 2011.
“The Ward Museum is excited to offer young students high-quality early learning experiences at their community museum” said Lora Bottinelli, executive director of the Ward Museum. She continued, “The Ward Museum is a perfect location to promote the value of exploring nature with young children and provide educational tools to help build these experiences.”
“Our continued support of the Ward Museum furthers our strategic investment in preparing local children for success in school,” said Jennifer Joseph, PNC Market Executive. “The field trips provide additional opportunities for young children in our region to connect with nature while building core academic skills.”
