Rhode Island PBS has been selected to extend the impact of Ready To Learn-funded early childhood educational resources through a partnership with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS. Rhode Island PBS is one of 14 public media stations to receive an 18-month contract to work with partners to expand educator, parent, and caregiver training in their state, as well as use digital media resources and hands-on learning activities from PBS KIDS, especially in underserved areas.
“This project is an opportunity to build on the strong foundation of work in early childhood education that we have developed in some of our state’s highest-need communities,” said Colleen Kenyon, director of Education Services at Rhode Island PBS. “We are grateful for the opportunity to expand these efforts to support early childhood educators and young learners throughout the state with a focus on the growing population of multilingual learners.”
Through the Ready To Learn program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, CPB and PBS KIDS work with content producers, researchers, and other partners to develop, distribute, and evaluate multiplatform content to support the needs of America’s children. The content includes multiplatform series, short-form videos, interactive games, mobile apps, and hands-on activities from PBS KIDS programs such as “Lyla in the Loop,” “Molly of Denali,” and “Work It Out Wombats!”
Rhode Island PBS plans to work with current and prospective partners to cultivate an anytime, anywhere learning culture amongst early childhood providers and caregivers through accessible, high-quality programming and materials. Education staff will accomplish this by developing and sharing multilingual supports for school readiness through family engagement, professional development, and material disbursement.
Over the next six months, Rhode Island PBS will receive $12,000 to develop an action plan. Rhode Island PBS will attend virtual meetings with the other stations in the cohort to exchange ideas and learn with and from one another. Upon approval of funding for 2024-25, Rhode Island PBS will receive additional funding to implement its plans with local partner organizations.
Other stations include Arizona PBS, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Idaho Public Television, Ideastream Public Media (Cleveland), Iowa PBS, KBTC (Tacoma, Washington), Kentucky Educational Television, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Nebraska Public Media, PBS North Carolina, South Carolina Educational Television Commission, WCTE/Central Tennessee PBS (Cookeville, Tennessee), and WQED (Pittsburgh). They join six other stations that began similar work in their states in 2022-23: PBS SoCal, California; WFSU-Tallahassee, Florida; WXXI, Rochester, New York; Austin PBS, Texas; Maryland Public Television; and PBS Wisconsin.
“Ready To Learn supports a network of local public media stations and community and statewide partners to connect families in underserved areas with quality educational resources,” said Debra Sanchez, CPB Senior Vice President, Educational Media and Learning Experiences. “These Ready To Learn resources are designed to equip the adults in children’s lives — educators, parents and caregivers — to more effectively engage young children and improve their school readiness.”
“PBS KIDS content and resources developed through the Ready To Learn Initiative have helped children, parents, caregivers, and teachers support our country’s youngest learners, setting them up for success in school, work, and life,” said Sara DeWitt, senior vice president & general manager, PBS KIDS. “Through these additional partnerships, stations will be able to raise awareness to enable more families to access and use these free PBS KIDS resources.”
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.
About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS believes the world is full of possibilities, and so is every child. As the number one educational media brand for kids, PBS KIDS helps children ages 2-8 learn lessons that last a lifetime. Through media and community-based programs, PBS KIDS wants children to see themselves uniquely reflected and celebrated in lovable, diverse characters who serve as positive role models, and to explore their feelings and discover new adventures along the way. Families can stream PBS KIDS for free anytime, no subscription required. A large collection of mobile apps and pbskids.org provide accessible content thasparksrk kids’ curiosity. PBS KIDS and local stations across the country support the entire ecosystem in which children learn and grow – including their teachers and caregivers, parents, and community – providing resources accessible anytime and anywhere. For more information, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
About The Ready To Learn Initiative
The Ready To Learn Initiative is a cooperative agreement funded and managed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. It supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted at preschool and early elementary school children and their families. Its general goal is to promote early learning and school readiness, with a particular interest in reaching low-income children. In addition to creating television and other media products, the program supports activities intended to promote national distribution of the programming, effective educational uses of the programming, community-based outreach, and research on educational effectiveness.
