Calvert Marine Museum awarded a PNC Grow Up Great Grant

The Calvert Marine Museum has received a grant for $5,500 from the PNC Foundation to fund opportunities for pre-school children in the Southern Maryland region. PNC’s Grow Up Great program is designed to help prepare children – particularly underserved children – from birth to age five for success in school and life.

Through Grow Up Great, PNC emphasizes the importance of the first five years of life, which research has shown is critical to long-term achievement. The program helps families educators and community partners provide innovative opportunities that enhance learning and development in a child’s early years.

The Calvert Marine Museum already offers two monthly programs for this age group: Sea Squirts for children 18 months to 3 years, and Little Minnows for children 3 – 5 years old. Through the Grow Up Great funding, the museum will be bringing in special guests to enhance the program offerings. On October 25, the Department of Natural Resources Scales & Tales program was presented to an awe-struck group of Little Minnows and their parents. The naturalist showed three different types of owls, a beautifully patterned corn snake, and a falcon as part of the program.  On November 16, special guest Jennifer Anderson will present Fishy Fun, a musical program for the Sea Squirts. All sponsored programs are free with the help of PNC! Special guests will be appearing monthly throughout the year.

In addition to the monthly programs, the grant is supporting outreach for underserved children in the area. Museum staff will be able to deliver one of three programs to designated pre-schools: Fossils are Fun, Marsh Animals, or What Floats Your Boat – all supported by the PNC grant.  These programs are in development and will be available starting in January, 2013.

On April 20, 2013, the museum will host a “Bring Your Parent to the Museum Day” as part of this program. Free for children five and under and their families, this is an opportunity for parents to watch museum staff model fun and interactive ways to use the museum as a learning experience for the whole family.

For more information about the upcoming PNC sponsored programs or the outreach offerings, visit our web site: http://www.calvertmarinemuseum.com/education/education-youth-about.php  or check the calendar of events online.