The Private Industry Council Family Literacy Program Promotes Healthy Lifestyles

This February the Private Industry Council held a special Intergenerational Literacy Activity teaching children and families enrolled in our Family Literacy program about nutrition, personal wellness, and respect for others and our own bodies. The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh's Outreach Teacher, Erica Schey and seven foot tall, blue haired "Stuffy" traveled to the Private Industry Council's corporate location to present a dramatic anatomy lesson to Family Literacy participants. After Stuffy was introduced, the children were able to see and learn about Stuffee's internal organs. In order to cognitively reinforce the lesson, the book, Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body was featured. In addition, the students enjoyed a puppet show performed by Adult Impact class volunteers, who also designed and constructed the puppet stage. In coordination with the Stuffee program, the puppet show extended the topic of taking care of our bodies by staying away from drugs, alcohol and tobacco products.

PIC has provided Family Literacy services in Westmoreland County for the past ten years. Our experience has indicated a need to offer family-building and parenting skills, including promoting healthy lifestyles and health literacy. The puppet show is one of several activities planned to promote drug-free lifestyle as part of a grant awarded by the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission, Inc. (WeDAC). The funding from this grant has enabled PIC to purchase educational materials to build an Alcohol, Tobacco, and other drug use/abuse resource library for current and future Family Literacy participants. For more information on PIC's Family Literacy program, please contact Leanne Griffith, Adult Education Supervisor, at 724-836-2600 or visit the Family Literacy page on our website.