The Community Chest of Port Washington awarded a $21,000 grant to the Port Washington Parent Resource Center (PRC) to support its Outreach Program in 2016. The Community Chest has been funding the PRC since it was housed in the Flower Hill School and has been the Outreach Program’s largest supporter for 23 years.
The PRC’s Outreach Program provides children from low-income families with early childhood classes and enriching experiences while offering a network of parent support. The program includes the Stepping Stones class, Stepping Stones summer field trips, the Scholarship Fund and English as a Second Language classes (the English as a Second Language classes are separately funded by the Community Chest of Port Washington). The Stepping Stones class provides educational experiences for children from low-income families who have little or no access to pre-kindergarten programs; Stepping Stones summer field trips are a continuation of the Stepping Stones class for the summer months and allow these families to participate in exciting and educational field trips; the Scholarship Fund provides funds to allow eligible children to enroll in PRC classes and the PRC summer camp for free or at substantially reduced fees; and the English as a Second Language classes (with childcare provided) helps adults gain proficiency in reading, writing and speaking English with the goal of being able to communicate with teachers and help their children with homework.
In addition to supporting the Outreach Program, the Mertz Community Resource Committee, a grant fund of the Community Chest of Port Washington, awarded a $10,000 capital grant to the PRC for floor renovation in 2015.
“We are grateful to the Community Chest of Port Washington for its consistent and substantial grant support of our Outreach Program for low-income families,” said Arlette Landers, copresident of the PRC. “The support does not just end with our Outreach Program. When we were renovating our space in 2015, the Community Chest provided half the funding for the new flooring. Community Chest volunteers are an important part of the PRC community as well. Simply put, our program could not exist without the help of the Community Chest.”
To donate to the PRC Outreach program or to learn more about Outreach or other PRC programs and classes for children and adults, go to www.parentresource.org or call the PRC at 516-767-3808.