Pressroom
For Immediate Release July 22, 2009
Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Fund New Statewide Ready To Learn Efforts
Washington D.C. -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) today announced funding for six public television stations which will work in collaboration with their state education agencies to provide early childhood education resources and services.
The Ready To Learn (RTL) Statewide Planning Agreements will foster partnerships between stations and state education agencies to develop comprehensive, statewide plans that align and integrate RTL digital media resources into Pre-K through second grade classrooms and in other learning environments, such as child care settings and after school programs. The RTL products and services include content from six television programs designed to support the reading skills of children ages 2- 8, with a special emphasis on reaching children from low-income families.
"Public media is a key partner with schools and communities, ensuring the nation's children get the education they need to succeed," said Pat Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. "Research from the Ready To Learn initiative confirms that children learn core literacy skills from public media content on-air, online and through station sponsored family and community initiatives."
"This funding will allow stations to build on the tremendous success of our Ready To Learn work in dozens of communities across the country. It also underscores the importance of partnerships between public media and public education and how together, they can greatly improve learning outcomes for all children," said Dr. Susan Zelman, senior vice president of Education and Children's Content at CPB.
Station and Project Descriptions:
KQED San Francisco, CA
KQED will work with KCET and the California Department of Education to align and implement RTL products and resources, including professional development for childcare providers in California. KQED's focus on digital learning demonstrates growth in a strategic direction for the station towards sustainability and continued relevance to educators.
Georgia Public Broadcasting Atlanta, GA
Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) will integrate RTL resources into the station's existing framework of services that promote literacy through Project AIM: Adding Interactive Media to early childhood education. GPB will partner with Bright from the Start, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia State University.
Iowa Public Television Johnston, IA
Iowa Public Television, already a model for ongoing partnership and communication between public media and state education agencies, will align RTL resources to standards for children Pre-K through second grade, teacher professional development and parent programs.
KTWU Topeka, KS
KTWU will align RTL resources to Kansas curriculum standards in early childhood and elementary school and develop an online guide to promote the usage of aligned RTL resources. KTWU will work with the Kansas State Department of Education, the Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies among others.
Maryland Public Television Owings Mills, MD
Maryland Public Television (MPT) will work with the Maryland State Department of Education and other partners in early childhood education to align, assess, and implement RTL products and services statewide through an early childcare Web site on MPT's existing web site Thinkport.
WMHT Troy, NY
WHMT will lead a coalition of stations to work with the New York Department of Education on standards, continuing education, and parental education through PBS' TeacherLine and other professional development tools. The stations will also partner with the New York State Library. WMHT's proposal represents a possible national model for other statewide coalitions of public broadcasting stations who want to work with their state education agencies.
About RTL: Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Ready To Learn is a collaborative initiative between CPB and PBS that assists children ages 2-8 living in high poverty communities, learn to read through quality television, online and mobile media. Ready To Learn incorporates research-based methodologies focused on how children learn from media and employs a 360˚ approach, surrounding children and families with learning opportunities where they live, work and play.
About CPB
CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 and is steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,100 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.