Minnesota Reading Corps is excited to partner with three great organizations to provide 5,000 learning kits for families in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area. With over 200,000 children in the metro area living in households with incomes at or around poverty levels, the PNC Foundation, Kids in Need Foundation, Science Museum of Minnesota and Reading Corps aim to ensure that all children, regardless of their circumstances, have access to quality learning materials.
The Little Learners Family Kits are funded by a grant from the PNC Foundation and will be distributed in places including Minneapolis Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools, Minneapolis Crisis Nursery, PICA (Parents In Community Action), YMCA St. Paul, and several additional resource centers for underserved students. They come in four different languages: English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong, and will include a folder containing information about the partnership, three (3) books, a reading and math curriculum, a STEM curriculum and materials such as pencils, scissors, a watercolor paint set, a wide-ruled notebook and a children’s hygiene kit.
These learning kits amplify Reading Corps mission to create a strong foundation so that students will be strong learners for the rest of their lives and create more opportunities for success in the future. This is especially important for underserved children and their families.
“We are so grateful that PNC continues to lead the way with their commitment to our littlest learners,” Sadie O’Conner, Managing Director of Reading Corps. “They have been an amazing partner, helping us fulfill our mission to find solutions to tough problems through the power of AmeriCorps. This kit for families is just another example of how PNC is dedicated to getting all of our children ready for Kindergarten and ensuring they have the resources they need to be successful in school and life.”
Kits were distributed in June and are already making an impact for little learners throughout the metro. For more information visit kinf.org/littlelearners/.