PENSACOLA, Fla.–Pen Air Federal Credit Union has presented a gift in the amount of $25,000 to the Studer Community Institute (SCI) in support of Brain Bags, an early learning initiative.
The Brain Bags program is one of the cornerstones of SCI’s efforts to become America’s first Early Learning City. This involves several initiatives, all in which work together to achieve the goal to increase kindergarten readiness scores to be the best in the state, and for SCI, that begins with early brain development.
The materials are developed from experts and research-supported resources, including Dr. Dana Suskind’s book, “Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain,” and are designed to help new parents work more words into their interactions with their little ones. Every mother who gives birth in Escambia County, an estimated 5,000 per year, receives a Brain Bag while at the hospital. These mothers are given a presurvey to rate themselves on how well prepared they feel they are to help their child’s brain develop, and then they are given a postsurvey after receiving the Brain Bag materials. The scores have moved from a presurvey average of six, to a postsurvey average of a nine out of 10.
“You save a child’s life when you invest in their brain development,” said Quint Studer CEO and Founder of SCI. “We’re pleased to be partnering with Pen Air once again, because what they are doing today is giving us a donation that’s going to impact 1,000 mothers and their children.”
Financial literacy and education are key initiatives for Pen Air and how the credit union serves its members and the community. To date, Pen Air has given $31,594.36 to further the efforts of early brain development.
“A great way to enhance a life is to start at birth,” said Stu Ramsey, president and CEO of Pen Air. “In the spirit of Communerosity, we are thrilled to make an investment today in our children because we understand the importance of early learning.”