Apply to Become a Rootle Ambassador
Are you a champion for children 0-8 years old and their families in your county?
PBS North Carolina is recruiting for the next cohort of volunteer Rootle Ambassadors who have a passion to empower children, families and community partners as we work together, county by county, to make a lifelong impact on early childhood education and the children of North Carolina.
We are now recruiting a Rootle Ambassador in these four counties. If you are interested in applying for another NC county, please email rootle_ambassador@pbsnc.org for future Ambassador recruitment opportunities.
What is the Rootle Ambassador Program?
Learn about our Rootle Ambassador Program and its impact on North Carolina communities.
Building on the successful implementation of the CPB-PBS Ready to Learn Community Collaboratives for Early Learning & Media Initiative, PBS North Carolina and its partners recognized the greater need to serve children and families across the state in a manner that was sustainable, long-term.
By understanding the tremendous impact that local educators, parents, caregivers and community leaders can have within the early childhood education space and beyond, we have developed a program that celebrated the work that community members were already doing as well as support them along the way. Rootle Ambassadors give us the opportunity to equitably reach classrooms, communities and homes across the state with curriculum-informed content and resources that gets children excited about learning.
The Rootle Ambassador Program is made possible with a generous grant from
The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust
And with our partners
The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc.
State Library of North Carolina
Triple P Parenting - Positive Parenting Program
The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation
Meet Our Rootle Ambassadors
Rootle Ambassadors are community members who support families of young learners in counties across the state of North Carolina. Ambassadors serve as leaders, connecting PBS KIDS and early learning resources to the unique needs of their communities. They are equipped with tools to share that enrich learning for all children, provide valuable training and experiences, and create a community network for early childhood educators and families to connect.
PBS North Carolina and our statewide partners nominate individuals who have been identified as strong community advocates to serve as Rootle Ambassadors in their county. Recruitment for the program occurs on an annual basis. Over the course of five years, North Carolina will have a Rootle Ambassador in all 100 counties. Meet our first group of Rootle Ambassadors below!
LouMecia Staton, MSA shares how being a Rootle Ambassador has impacted her NC community.
Find Your County's Rootle Ambassador
Rootle Ambassadors are listed below in alphabetical order, by county. Learn more about your county's Rootle Ambassador and find their contact information below. If your county is not listed here, we are still recruiting for that position. Please reach out to rootle_ambassador@pbsnc.org with any questions.
Caroline Goins, Anson County
Sara Kesterson, Ashe County
Jennifer Walker, Beaufort County
April Swain, Bertie County
Brandon Autar, Buncombe County
Friday Okure, Cabarrus County
La'Gentry Ross, Catawba County
Sheen Klaus, Chatham County
Brenda Millett, Cherokee County
Bridget Wilson, Clay County
April McClain, Cleveland County
Sandra Ixa Plata-Potter, Ph.D., Craven County
Allison Lambert Gupton, Davie County
Amanda Sanderson, Duplin County
Steven Harrison, Durham County