With the uncertainty that 2020 has brought us, we are so happy to announce that Hult Center for Healthy Living will be partnering again with PNC Grow Up Great for our 10th year! This school year we are focusing on the brain and practicing mindfulness to promote self-regulation and healthy social-emotional development. It is crucial to practice these skills at a young age because it is a healthy part of emotional development. A child’s brain is 90% developed by the age of 5 years. Children have the potential to succeed and make a positive contribution to society when provided with a supportive environment.
This year we are introducing “Your Amazing Brain” program. “Your Amazing Brain” is a pre-k program designed to help students gain a better understanding for the wonders of the human body, while introducing core concepts, including health, science, math, and vocabulary. Through the “Your Amazing Brain” program, 550 students attending Peoria Bright Futures and Tazewell Woodford Head Start will have the opportunity to explore the wonders of the human brain. Hult Center for Healthy Living’s Health Education Specialists will provide hands-on educational programs to students on-site at Hult Center for Healthy Living where students will be able to explore two educational theaters & models along with our very own larger-than-life Mega Brain exhibit. This exhibit was purchased thanks to a grant from UnityPoint Health Foundation, and we can’t wait to see the children explore this larger-than-life experience. This inflatable exhibit is 18 ft long and over 12 ft tall and allows students to walk through the brain’s frontal lobe & exit through the cerebellum. If students are not able to participate in person at the Hult Center for Healthy Living they still can participate virtually. In addition to programming for all students, “Your Amazing Brain” includes family engagement activities, professional development for teachers, and PNC employee volunteer opportunities.
Thank you to PNC for making this program possible for our youth.