Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) recently announced that it has been awarded increased and multiyear funding from the PNC Foundation Grow Up Great grant to help support preschool classroom visits from GFS staff and visits to GFS for children and their teachers and caregivers. It builds upon two years of funding that supports in-classroom art and literacy activities led by GFS museum educators at Millhill Child & Family Development Center, Trenton’s preschool program.
Based on the success of GFS’ current collaboration with Millhill, increased interest from the community, and the proven educational value of the arts and literacy programs to teachers, the grant renews grant funding for the lessons at Millhill and expands the effort to two additional, local Pre-K programs: Princeton Nursery School and Better Beginnings, Hightstown. At all three locations, the artmaking and literacy activities the preschool students partake in will meet important educational standards, with the aim of bolstering both their learning and well-being.
“At Grounds For Sculpture, we believe that creativity begins in early childhood and that access to the arts can profoundly shape a child’s sense of self, curiosity, and confidence,” said Tiffany Allen, Grounds For Sculpture director of education and engagement. “Through our continued partnership with Millhill and the expansion of our preschool programs at Princeton Nursery School and Better Beginnings, Hightstown, our dedicated education team members have created joyful, hands-on learning experiences that connect families, teachers, and young learners to the powerful benefits of art. These collaborations truly reflect our mission by showing that art is an inclusive and inspiring part of every child’s world.”
Since 2022, GFS has partnered with the Millhill Pre-K team, visiting classrooms and presenting programming aligned with curriculum themes. GFS museum educators visit each of the preschools monthly to lead literacy and art activities for students aged three to five. The program uses artmaking to support early learning standards and build foundational skills for cognitive and physical development in young children. Each spring, families take a field trip to GFS to celebrate “Family Day,” a special occasion where students’ families are invited to view the art the preschoolers have created, which is exhibited for a month in GFS’ Education Gallery, and visit the 42-acre sculpture park. The exhibitions in the Education Gallery, which is supported, in part, by Stark & Stark, Inc., often feature work by local community partners such as Arc Mercer and Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, both of which also participate in art classes at Grounds For Sculpture.
“Our partnership with Grounds For Sculpture brings the transformative power of art directly into our preschool classrooms,” shared Jigna Rao, CEO of Millhill Child & Family Development. “By making art accessible to low-income families and celebrating our children’s creativity through museum exhibitions, we’re showing our youngest learners that their voices and visions matter. This is early childhood education at its best — where every child is an artist and every family belongs.”
K. Leanna Jahnke, executive director, Princeton Nursery School, said, “Funding through Grow Up Great has allowed Princeton Nursery School students to access the most engaging and enriching arts programming with Grounds For Sculpture. This partnership provides unique, hands-on experiences that ignite creativity and foster a love for learning in our youngest students.”
“Our partnership with Grounds For Sculpture provides Better Beginnings children with valuable opportunities for creative growth and hands-on learning,” said Jason Hernandez, executive director, Better Beginnings, Hightstown. These experiences inspire imagination and curiosity that extend well beyond the classroom.”
GFS’ Education team delivers inclusive, imaginative, and developmentally responsive programming for families with children from birth through adolescence. Following 10 years of successful preschool programming generously supported by PNC Foundation, GFS will continue to offer popular programs like Family Open Studios and Tots For Sculpture, inviting the three organizations’ students and their families to visit the sculpture park and participate in these two programs, along with Stroller Tours and Creative Kiddos, throughout the year at no cost.
For more information, visit groundsforsculpture.org.