Ball State PBS received a $ 260,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS to extend the reach and impact of PBS KIDS early learning resources to local communities.

Over the next four years, Ball State PBS will work with local partners to create a ‘learning neighborhood’ that fosters a community-wide learning culture at home, in the neighborhood and within systems. and local spaces. The program is part of the CPB-PBS Ready To Learn initiative, funded by the US Department of Education.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this important Ready To Learn initiative with CPB, PBS, Ball State University and our many community partners,” said Lori Georgi, Interim Executive Director of Ball State PBS. “We couldn’t imagine a better way to kick off our 50’s celebration.^e anniversary and our continued commitment to involving children and families.

The Ready To Learn 2020-2025 initiative aims to connect media and children’s learning environments to develop key skills for success in school and in life, including functional literacy, critical thinking and thinking. collaboration, as well as showing them career options in ways appropriate to their age. .

“Local public media stations and their community partners will play a critical role in shaping this impactful neighborhood learning approach by using and curating high quality children’s content from public media as a catalyst for preparation for school, ”said Deb Sanchez, senior vice president of education at CPB. and children’s content. “By working closely with local organizations, public media can provide meaningful learning opportunities – anytime and anywhere – for children and families, especially those living in low-income communities. “

“PBS KIDS believes the world is full of possibilities, just like every child,” said Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager, children’s media and education, PBS. “Through their fieldwork and partnerships with local organizations across the country, PBS stations are uniquely placed to help serve children, parents and caregivers in their communities, ensuring access to invaluable learning resources. ”

Ball State PBS is one of 10 grant-receiving public television stations in this cohort, along with Arkansas PBS, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Nine PBS (St. Louis, MO), WXXI (Rochester, NY), PBS39 (Lehigh Valley, PA), Rhode Island PBS, East Tennessee PBS (Knoxville, TN), KERA (Dallas, TX) and KSPS (Spokane, WA).

They join 12 stations that started their “learning neighborhood” models in October 2020: Alaska Public Media; Austin PBS; Alabama Public Television; Detroit Public Television; Vegas PBS; Kentucky Educational Television; PBS SoCal (Los Angeles, California); PBS Wisconsin; WNET (New York, NY); Maryland Public Television; WQED (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); and WFSU (Tallahassee, Florida). Other communities will be added in the coming years.

This effort is part of a five-year grant to CPB and PBS through the United States Department of Education’s Ready To Learn initiative to develop new multimedia and cross-platform engagement tools that present to children career and workforce options and help them develop their daily reading and writing skills. . The effort will enable parents, caregivers and communities to support children’s learning and growth in these areas through a network of “learning neighborhoods” and to conduct research on the effectiveness of newly produced educational resources. .

In 2018, Ball State PBS received a Ready to Learn grant of $ 175,000 over two years to work with community partners to provide STEM resources to young learners and their families on the south side of Muncie, especially the 8 twelve. neighborhoods.

“We have seen the power of Ready to Learn firsthand through this grant project,” said Michelle Kinsey, manager of community engagement and grants at Ball State PBS. “We are excited to be able to continue working with wonderful partners to engage children and families with even more innovative and high-quality PBS KIDS content that is inclusive and impactful. “