FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNC-TV’S ROOTLE TAKES READY TO LEARN EVENTS TO WAYNE COUNTY
Enriching Educational Events for Families & Educators Coming this Spring & Summer
Research Triangle Park, NC, 2/3/2020 – UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina and its 24/7 Rootle PBS KIDS Channel, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS, will travel to Wayne County this month to host another Ready To Learn event. Ready To Learn, part of a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement, is an innovative science and literacy media initiative supporting the learning needs of children in low-income communities.
UNC-TV’s Rootle PBS KIDS Channel, designed to enhance the educational and emotional well-being of North Carolina’s children, increasingly stands as an education leader in North Carolina. By collaborating with key partners, Rootle addresses and answers critical early education needs of underserved children and families through playful, engaging and effective learning opportunities during and after school, at home and in their communities.
This year’s four-part Ready To Learn Family & Community Learning series is based around the hit PBS KIDS show Molly of Denali. A small group of pre-selected students and their families will embark on a series of science and literacy-based activities, such as animal investigation, family bio-sketches and community map exploration, which will culminate in a student-generated community museum exhibit. The series takes place Thursday evenings in February, at Brogden Primary School in Dudley.
In addition to these student-focused Ready To Learn series, Rootle will also host a Playful Learning for Educators Professional Development Workshop this March in Wayne County. The six-hour workshop engages early childhood educators with PBS KIDS content which they can use to enrich their curricula and facilitate their own Molly of Denali Family & Community Learning events for other families.
Following these Ready To Learn events, Rootle returns to Wayne County in June to host a Play & Learn Science Family & Community Learning event series at Carver Head Start in Mount Olive. This two-day event will explore the engineering and design process through hands-on and digital play for children and families.
The capstone event to the Ready To Learn initiative in Wayne County will be the Odd Squad: Be the Agent Camp, a free summer camp hosted by the Boys & Girls Club of Wayne County in Mount Olive and based on the popular PBS KIDS series Odd Squad. Over five days of camp, participants aged six- to 10 become Odd Squad agents, using STEM skills to find the solutions to the Odd Squad’s oddest cases. —
“We have been so gratified to witness how this investment by the Department of Education has enabled Rootle to reach out and help children access research-based content that is both educational and entertaining,” said Joy Potts, UNC-TV Director of Children’s Media and Education Services. “Having free and commercial-free access to the programs and content featured on Rootle and UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina is vital to helping children succeed. And our community-based support also offers our most at-risk families valuable opportunities to achieve.”
Powered by quality content, resources and research provided through the CPB/PBS Ready To Learn initiative, UNC-TV and Rootle help young learners develop science inquiry and literacy skills which prepare them for success in school and in life. For more information about Rootle and the Ready To Learn initiative, visit unctv.org/about/contact
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,400 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.
About PBS
PBS, with over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 100 million people through television and over 28 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.
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 Innovation and Improvement. It supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted to 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.
About UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina
On air, online and in person, UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina connects North Carolinians to each other, the world and endless possibilities. Through its unique partnership of public investment and private support, the statewide network includes in-person engagement, digital-first social and online content delivery and four over-the-air channels—UNC-TV PBS & More, the North Carolina Channel, Rootle 24/7 PBS KIDS and the Explorer Channel. Additionally, it provides emergency services support for the state and free educational services and resources for teachers. Visit unctv.org and join the conversation by connecting with us at facebook.com/publicmediaNC, instagram.com/publicmediaNC and @publicmediaNC on Twitter.
CONTACT
Rebekah Radisch, UNC-TV: rradisch@unctv.org 919-549-7177
