Date: January 29, 2009
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Early Childhood Education Earns Strosacker Foundation Award

Westville – The Purdue University North Central Early Childhood Education program has received a $100,000 award from the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation of Midland, Mich.

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.

“We are honored to receive this gift; it will allow us to realize many of our goals for the Early Childhood program,” said Cynthia Pulver Fontaine, chair of the PNC Education Department. “It is exciting to be starting a new program that has so much potential and for which there is so much need. This gives us an added bonus that will make a tremendous difference to the success of the program. We are very appreciative to the Strosacker Foundation for its kindness and generosity.”

Fontaine explained that this award will help the PNC Early Childhood Education program fulfill many of its goals. Initially, some of the award will be utilized by the Center for Early Learning's third annual conference, “Everyday Wonder,” scheduled for April 25.

Most of the award will be placed in an endowment for future programmatic needs such as curriculum materials and future annual conferences. Funds will also be used to support early childhood teacher education candidates through scholarships and grants.

For further information about the Early Childhood Education program at PNC or for information about the “Everyday Wonder” conference, contact Fontaine at 219-785-5200 ext. 5485, or email cfontaine@pnc.edu.

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