Idaho Public Television (IdahoPTV) 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. IdahoPTV is one of 14 public media stations to receive an 18-month contract to work with partners to expand educator, parent and caregiver trainings in their local communities, as well as to use digital media resources and hands-on learning activities from PBS KIDS, especially in underserved areas.
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 educational 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!
“We are excited for the opportunity to increase the reach of the Ready To Learn project throughout Idaho,” says Kari Wardle, education manager at IdahoPTV. “This grant will allow us to partner with agencies across the state to bring the robust and engaging Ready To Learn resources to children in homes, childcare centers and classrooms all over Idaho!”
Over the next six months, IdahoPTV will receive $12,000 to develop an action plan. IdahoPTV education specialists 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, IdahoPTV will receive additional funding to implement its plans with its statewide partners.
The other stations in the cohort include Arizona PBS, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Ideastream Public Media (Cleveland, OH), Iowa PBS, KBTC (Tacoma, WA), Kentucky Educational Television, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Nebraska Public Media, PBS North Carolina, Rhode Island PBS, South Carolina Educational Television Commission, WCTE/Central Tennessee PBS (Cookeville, TN), and WQED (Pittsburgh, PA). These stations join six other stations who 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,” says Debra Sanchez, CPB senior vice president of 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,” says Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager of 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.”