PNC Foundation today announced a $75,000 grant to Lexington’s Family Care Center to build a nature-based playground.
“This nature-based playground will be a wonderful addition to the Family Care Center,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “Today’s generous grant from PNC Foundation will give the children who are cared for here something many of them rarely have … an opportunity for outdoor play and learning.”
PNC Client & Community Relations Director Yajaira Aich West said that through PNC Grow Up Great®, PNC’s signature philanthropic initiative that helps prepare young children for success in school and life that is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, PNC is collaborating with organizations to help create and enhance outdoor play and learning spaces for children in the communities it serves.
“All of us at PNC are excited to see this project, which is among the first of its kind in our community, come to life,” West said. “Recent PNC-funded research by the National Institute for Early Education Research revealed that roughly half of preschool-age children are playing outside less than once a day. We are looking to change that, because research tells us that encouraging young children to engage with their world through nature can offer a wealth of benefits for their learning and development.”
Family Services Director Shelia Horton-Holt said the Family Care Center serves a low-income population. “Most of our children live in apartment complexes, some do not have playgrounds,” she said. “A majority of those we serve have not been exposed to a nature-based play and learning environment. Parents are working and often do not have the time to take their child to a local park.”
The new nature-based playground will enhance daily learning activities with everyday objects in nature. “We’re thinking of log bridges, climbers, tunnels, log balance beams and tree steppers,” Horton-Holt said. The first phase of the playground is expected to be complete this fall.
The Family Care Center opened in 1989. Children receive excellent education and care at the facility. Young parents can learn parenting and life skills while completing requirements for a high school diploma. A home visitation program teaches new and expectant parents about health, pregnancy, home safety, bonding and infant development.
“From the start, it has been a remarkable program … a very special place that serves young children, and their young parents,” Mayor Gorton said. “I am so proud of the work that goes on here. We have a great team of teachers and caregivers.”
Social Services Commissioner Kacy Allen-Bryant said, “People who work in social services often have to handle some difficult situations. It can be really stressful. I can tell you that it helps to know that the community supports your work, understands it, and values its importance. Thank you, PNC Foundation!”
