NASHVILLE, Tenn. Napier Elementary School opened a new Storybook Trail and outdoor classroom area today, giving students, families, and community members a place to read familiar stories together.
The project was made possible through a two-year, $75,000 PNC Foundation grant to Nashville Public Schools, while the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, which has worked on similar spaces across Tennessee, helped make this one of the first Storybook Trails at an elementary school in the state.
“We want to give every student plenty of opportunities to grow as readers, and the Storybook Trail is an innovative, creative, and beautiful way to do that,” Nashville Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Battle said. “We’re grateful to PNC and the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation for their generous support and partnership to create this unique outdoor space that will promote literacy and storytelling.”
The outdoor classroom is funded through a PNC grant-making initiative that supports the development and enhancement of high-quality outdoor play and learning environments. The grant pool commemorates the 20th anniversary of PNC Grow Up Great®, PNC’s signature philanthropic initiative that helps prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.
“PNC-funded research by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) shows that young children are spending less time outside,” said Mike D. Johnson, PNC regional president for Tennessee. “Additional research suggests that outdoor pre-K play and learning benefit children’s health and wellbeing, language development, cognitive and social-emotional skills and more. This project will help our future leaders gain developmental skills that will support the long-term vitality of our communities.”
“Storybook Trails help bring literacy to life by creating spaces where children and families can read, move, explore, and learn together,” said James Pond, President and CEO of Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation. “At GELF, we believe literacy should be accessible to everyone, everywhere in Tennessee, and innovative projects like this help us continue building stronger communities through literacy.”
The Storybook Trail currently features the story “My Voice is a Trumpet,” with “Peace Is an Offering” set to be displayed in the future. Both stories were selected with input from the Napier community, including student leaders. The design of the trail also will allow for other stories to be featured periodically.
About the PNC Foundation: The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The Foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through PNC Grow Up Great®, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. For more information, visit http://www.pncgrowupgreat.com.
