Exit133

December 10, 2014 · Exit133

KBTC Ensures Access to Resources for High-Need Communities!

Tacoma, Washington and Washington, DC (December 10, 2014)– Today, at the White House Summit on Early Learning, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS highlighted public media’s commitment to support early learning through high-quality educational media and digital learning tools for preschool children, educators and parents.

These ongoing efforts represent an investment of $58 million, part of which includes funding to extend current projects as part of the Ready To Learn Initiative. Ready To Learn helps make possible the development of educational television and digital media content for young children and their families, especially those from low-income communities.

KBTC Public Television is one of 22 public media stations across the nation to receive a Ready To Learn grant. KBTC continues to deliver proven, effective Ready To Learn educational media content to 590,000 families per week via our broadcast signal, and to over 12,000 kids, parents and educators through on-the-ground outreach in the Hilltop and Salishan neighborhoods as well as Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

These efforts among others, include:

  • providing educational resources and support for families in the Tacoma Housing Authority McCarver Elementary Special Housing Program (THAMESHP),
  • integrating Ready To Learn educational content in after-school and summer camp programs in the community,
  • hosting Ready to Learn Spring Break and Summer camps at McCarver and Lister Elementary Schools,
  • bringing a mobile technology lab into neighborhoods to regularly provide students and families with easy access to the latest educational technology,
  • holding special events to train educators, caregivers, and parents how to use transmedia tools while taking an active role in their child’s education, and
  • hosting museum programs to teach specific literacy and math skills.

KBTC Ready To Learn partners include: Tacoma Housing Authority; McCarver and Lister Elementary Schools; New Salishan; Tacoma Public Schools; Pierce County Public Libraries; Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound; Peace Community Center; Children’s Museum of Tacoma, Tacoma Metro Parks, Write@253 and Campus MLK.

“We recognize the vital role that quality early education experiences play in improving school readiness for our nation’s children,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “Our commitment sets children on a path to graduation and success in life.”

“Through our collective work, CPB, PBS and local stations are  leveraging the significant and longstanding private-public investment in public media to reach all American families with innovative curriculum-based content that is proven to impact early learning,” said Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS.

“We are proud of the work that we’re doing through the Ready To Learn program and the real difference these efforts are making in the lives of children and families in Tacoma and Pierce County,” said Ed Ulman, executive director and general manager of KBTC.

Key national Ready To Learn projects include:

  • More High-Quality PBS KIDS Content: The funding has helped support the development of two PBS KIDS series, the award winning Peg + Cat and the recently launched Odd Squad.   These series focus on helping children build their early math skills.
  • New Innovative Apps for Parents:  In 2015, PBS KIDS is making significant content additions to both the PBS KIDS Super Vision and PBS Parents Play and Learn apps, which have already reached more than 1.4 million downloads, providing resources that help parents get their children ready to enter school. 
  • New Resources for Teacher Professional Development: To support teachers in their use of interactive content and games in the classroom, CPB and PBS have partnered with Boston University’s School of Education to produce a series of teaching tips and video vignettes. The resources will be available on pbskids.org/lab and pbslearningmedia.org, which has 1.5 million users with registered access.

Public media’s commitment to early education also includes $20 million from the American Graduate/PBS KIDS fund established earlier this year to expand the scope and reach of the U.S. Department of Education’s Ready To Learn Initiative. Through the fund, CPB and PBS are working to develop resources and tools to meet the growing needs of parents who want to become more involved in their children’s educational success and to help PBS stations offer free, high-quality content to enrich early learning experiences in homes, childcare centers and classrooms.