Alta Behavioral Healthcare Awarded $5,000 Grant from PNC Foundation for Literacy and Social Skills Program 

Alta Behavioral Healthcare has received a $5,000 grant from the PNC Foundation’s Grow Up Great initiative to support UPSTREAM, its home-based literacy and social skills program provided to families of children in preschool through second grade.

The goal of UPSTREAM is to increase a parent’s/guardian’s ability to nurture their child’s social, emotional and literacy development so he or she is better prepared to succeed in school.

“PNC recognizes the role kindergarten readiness plays in the well-being of local children, their families and ultimately, our economy,” said Ted Schmidt, PNC regional president for Greater Youngstown. “By preparing our youngest students for educational success, we help build a solid foundation for the future of this region.”

The grant from PNC will enable Alta Behavioral Healthcare to prepare preschool age children for kindergarten. The aim of the elementary age program is to prepare children for the third grade Reading Guarantee.

Alta Behavioral Healthcare CEO Joseph Shorokey said, “We are very grateful to PNC for its continued strong support of our programs and initiatives. We have seen impressive results from our UPSTREAM program in terms of how well prepared students who participate are as they move forward in their educational careers. PNC’s generous grant will enable to us to continue this good work.”

To learn more about the PNC Grow Up Great initiative, go to www.pncgrowupgreat.com. Follow PNC at www.twitter.com/PNCNews and www.youtube.com/PNC

The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), 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 Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.