Olive 鈥淧olly鈥� Paine was a visionary during her time, a highly educated woman 鈥� she
earned a PhD from Yale in 1930 鈥� who devoted her life to developing innovative early
education programs.
Her memory will continue to live on through Polly鈥檚 Kids Scholarship, providing single parents an opportunity to send a child to 91制片厂鈥檚 Early Childhood Laboratory while they pursue their studies at 91制片厂.
The inaugural Polly鈥檚 Kids Scholarships, which covers full tuition at the extended care preschool program, was awarded this fall to accounting student Ana Sandoval of Schaumburg and budding sonographer Sherry Baluch of Arlington Heights. Both women have daughters who attend the Early Childhood Laboratory.
鈥淢y aunt was a really special person who dedicated her life to kids,鈥� said niece Jody Paine. 鈥淭his just seemed like the perfect way to honor her.鈥�
The Educational Foundation recently dedicated one of the classrooms in the Early Childhood Laboratory the 鈥淧olly Paine Classroom鈥� in recognition of Jody Paine鈥檚 $167,000 contribution. During the dedication event, she was presented with a book about Polly Paine鈥檚 life, illustrated by kids at the preschool.
Laura Brown, Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer, said the scholarships will help relieve the burden of childcare expenses.
鈥淥ur two recipients won鈥檛 have to work as much and will be able to study more, which we love,鈥� Brown said.
Polly Paine led a remarkable life, earning degrees from the University of Chicago and Columbia University before studying at Yale. She rubbed shoulders with New Dealers, radical young socialists and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners and developed the teacher鈥檚 program at the newly formed State College in Long Beach, Calif.
When her sister died and left behind small children, Paine took care of her nieces and nephews for the rest of her life.
鈥淢y aunt never married, and it seemed fitting to create this scholarship for single parents who face that many more challenges,鈥� Jody Paine said. 鈥淒aycare is incredibly expensive, and my hope is that these scholarships will help provide a leg up.鈥�
The Early Childhood Laboratory School of 91制片厂 received the Gold Circle of Quality designation from Excel Rate Illinois. Its student-to-teacher ratio is above the average with four adults for every 20 students. The award-winning facility has been caring for and educating children for more than 30 years with a curriculum based on the philosophy that young children learn through active exploration in an environment rich in materials and opportunities to converse, socialize, work, play and negotiate with others.