Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance Donates $50,000 to Pinellas Education Foundation’s Building Blocks for Literacy Program

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance, a St. Petersburg-based home, condo and rental property insurer, recently donated a $50,000 grant to the Pinellas Education Foundation in support of its Building Blocks for Literacy Program. Designed by Dr. Blanche Podhajski, the director of The Stern Center in Vermont, the Building Blocks For Literacy program promotes early literacy skills for children in child care and preschool environments, and teaches early care and education providers, as well as parents and preschool teachers, how to foster those skills.

Heritage Insurance is committed to supporting educational initiatives across the state. This year, the company has donated $150,000 to Florida educational charities, including Step Up For Students, which provides scholarships to Florida children to attend private schools. 

"Many of our shareholders, and even our President's spouse, are career educators, so we are closely connected to organizations like the Pinellas Education Foundation, which work to advance the quality of education in Florida," said Bruce Lucas, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer at Heritage Insurance. 

The Pinellas Education Foundation grant will allow a minimum of 20 preschools and 80 teachers to implement the Building Blocks program, which is expected to reach approximately 900 children over a three year period. Studies show that teaching children during their formative years (between one and five years old) will help prevent future dropouts as students enter high school and college.

In order to assist the Pinellas Education Foundation in achieving its vision that every student be prepared for life after high school - whether the choice is to attend college, to enter the workforce, or to obtain technical training - the Foundation has partnered with the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County and formed a committee focused on early childhood education. The Early Learning Coalition provides a comprehensive, high quality system of school readiness programs that enhance the emotional, social, cognitive and physical development of children through collaboration with families, providers and the community.

Building Blocks for Literacy is a sustainable, research-based, research-proven program that fosters phonological awareness in pre-school students. By bridging speech and print, students understand that sounds heard in spoken words are represented by letters and know the sound each letter or group of letters make.

About Heritage Property & Casualty Company
Heritage Insurance is based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The company offers home, condo, and rental property insurance through a large network of experienced independent agents. The Heritage Insurance team is committed to providing homeowners with the highest quality property insurance along with some of the most competitive rates in Florida. For more information, visit Heritage online at www.heritagepci.com or call (855) 620-9978.

About The Pinellas Education Foundation
The Pinellas Education Foundation is an independent, non-governmental not-for-profit established in 1986.  The Foundation's mission is to provide enhanced educational opportunities for students and educators in Pinellas CountyPublic Schools. Well known Pinellas Education Foundation programs include: Enterprise Village, Finance Park, Take Stock in Children/Doorways Scholarships, Youth Connect and Teacher Classroom Grants. Visit www.pinellaseducation.org for more information.

Media Contact: Michelle Friedman at 904-641-3226 or [email protected]

SOURCE Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance