Date: Feb. 9, 2011
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Students Earn Professional Development Mini-Grants

Westville – Purdue University North Central students enrolled in the PNC Early Childhood Education program earned 2011 Strosacker Early Childhood Professional Development Mini-Grants for a variety of projects.

This year, the fund was able to provide more than $1,100 to five PNC students and clubs interested in pursuing projects that would impact the lives of young children.

This year's awardees and their projects are:

Amy Boren - "Paths to Quality/Head Start, Chesterton"

Jennifer Gottlieb - "Bridging the Gap Little Lamb Preschool, Valparaiso"

Jenny Hyatt - "2011 Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children State Conference"

Dianne Watters - "Talking with Hands! ASL for Learning Tree, Too! Child Care, Valparaiso"

PLAYCE Early Childhood Club - "Art in Early Childhood Education Panther Cubs at PNC."

PNC received award from the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation of Midland, Mich., in 2009 with most of that award placed in an endowment for future needs such as curriculum materials, future annual conferences and the support of early childhood teacher education candidates through scholarships and grants.

The Strosacker Foundation was established in 1957 by the late Charles J. Strosacker, one of the pioneers of the Dow Chemical Company, “to assist and benefit political subdivisions of the State of Michigan and religious, charitable, benevolent, scientific or educational organizations.” In the past, the Foundation has supported initiatives at Purdue West Lafayette and has long recognized the importance of early childhood education.

#