The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) and the PNC Foundation will welcome more than 400 Detroit Public Schools (DPS) pre-K students to the show Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, for Preschool Education Day. PNC is hosting the pre-K students in support of Grow Up Great, its $350 million, multi-year bilingual initiative in early childhood education.
Now in its seventh year, Preschool Education Day will begin with a welcome from Ric DeVore, PNC regional president for Detroit and Southeast Michigan, followed by hands-on educational activities focusing on science, technology, reading, engineering arts and mathematics (STREAM) education. Designed to spark curiosity and foster imagination, the activities will include a coloring contest, an Arts and Scraps project, a parade of cars and teachers, a group photo and a number of other age-appropriate workshops on the show floor.
“PNC’s support of NAIAS Preschool Education Day reflects our strong corporate commitment to early childhood education in Detroit and communities served by PNC,” said Ric DeVore, speaking on behalf of the PNC Foundation. “Over the past seven years, PNC has brought more than 2,300 DPS preschool students to this world-class show in an effort to spark an interest in math and science at an early age.”
One lucky preschooler will be randomly chosen to win a booster seat, while every DPS preschool student in attendance will go home with their very own NAIAS stuffed animal and a puzzle featuring the design of one of the NAIAS poster contest winners. The students will also be given lesson plans to bring NAIAS STREAM education home.
“This event gives us the opportunity to reach the very youngest members of our community to create a better understanding of the auto industry and to build awareness of the place they might someday hold in that industry,” said 2017 NAIAS Chairman Sam Slaughter. “The pre-K day follows on the heels of NAIAS Education Day, where students from grade school to college come to explore the cars and careers of the auto industry. It’s two days of total automotive education immersion at NAIAS.”
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