Improving Early Learning Outcomes with PBS Stations in Your Communities

GLR Funder Huddle July 25, 2018 ‐ Philadelphia, PA

Presenters

Pam JohnsonExecutive Director, Ready To Learn, CPB

David LowensteinSenior Director, Ready To Learn, PBS KIDS

CPB‐PBS Ready To Learn Initiative• Cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education

• Promotes early learning and school readiness

• Strives to reach low-income children

• Currently in its fifth 5-year round

• Future innovations build upon recent best practices and findings

➢ Content▪ Science and literacy content with new and

existing PBS KIDS properties▪ Adaptive & personalized learning

➢ Community▪ Local public media stations forming

partnerships to support children, families, and educators in high-need communities

➢ Collaboration & Research▪ Guides content and community-based work

& studies impact of content on learning

Ready To Learn 2015‐2020

New Content

Engagement ResourcesFamily-Centered Content

• PBS KIDS Family & Community Learning• Hands-On Learning Activities• Parent-Child Videos

Child-Centered Content• Camps and Other Flexible Resources

Professional Development for Educators• Teaching Tips from BU-SED • PBS TeacherLine Courses• Playful Learning for Educators

Community Collaboratives● A network of community organizations that serve families with children ages 2-8 in

a well-defined, low-income community/neighborhood

● Include diverse partners that are interested and able to enter into ongoing collaboration (early childhood educators and providers, public libraries, science centers, health clinics, and house agencies, etc.)

● Local public television stations serve as the network’s educational media partner, connecting RTL content to children, families, and providers through existing and new engagement efforts.

● The network works collectively and intentionally to meet the needs of the community to set children on the path to success

Community Collaboratives for Early Learning & Media: Phase I (2015‐2020)

• Detroit Public Television (Detroit, MI)• Kentucky Educational Television• KBTC (Tacoma, WA)• KLRU (Austin, TX)• Mississippi Public Broadcasting• PBS SoCaL (Orange & Los Angeles Counties, CA)• WCTE (Cookeville, TN)• WFSU (Tallahassee, FL)• WGBH (Boston, MA)• WQED (Pittsburgh, PA)• WVIZ/PBS ideastream (Cleveland, OH)

Community Collaboratives for Early Learning & Media: Phase II (2016‐2020)

• Iowa Public Television

• Nine Network (St. Louis)

• Oklahoma Educational Television Authority - OETA

• VegasPBS

• WFYI (Indianapolis)

Community Collaboratives for Early Learning & Media: Phase III & IV (2017‐2020)

• Six-month planning grants awarded to 35 public media stations in November of 2017 to join or establish a CC-ELM

• Stations submitted multi-year CC-ELM implementation proposals in 2018

• 14 stations will be awarded CC-ELM grants in Fall 2018, joining the 16 existing CC-ELM stations for the last two years of the RTL 2015-2020 grant

RTL Engagement Content• PBS KIDS Family & Community Learning (FCL) Workshop

• PBS KIDS ScratchJr FCL• Ruff Ruffman FCL• Play & Learn: Science FCL (Coming Soon)• The Cat in the Hat FCL (Coming Soon)• Ready Jet Go FCL (Coming Soon)

• Camps• Odd Squad• Ruff Ruffman• Ready Jet Go FCL

• Playful Learning for Educators (Coming Soon)• Odd Squad• Ruff Ruffman• Ready Jet Go FCL

PBS KIDS Family & Community Learning• Series of four workshops for children ages 3 to 5 or 5 to 8 WITH

their families (parents, aunts/uncles, siblings, cousins, grandparents)

• Encouraging playing and learning together while building early science skills

• Four series currently available/in pilot- PBS KIDS ScratchJr- Ruff Ruffman- PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science- The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!

PBS KIDSPlayful Learning for Educators (PLE)

Integrating Media into Playful Learning

Research Proves that PBS KIDS...Prepares Children for School

Boosts Early Literacy Skills

Improves Math Knowledge & Skills

Strengthens Parent Support

Increases Teacher Knowledge of Students’ Math Learning & Development

Improves Summer Learning

Were They Ready To Learn? 

Getting a Read on Ready To Learn Media: A Meta‐Analytic Review of Effects on Literacy 

Study by Lisa B. Hurwitz

?

Findings

• Children who consumed Ready To Learn-funded media gained the equivalent of 1.5 months of literacy development beyond typical growth.

Findings• Ready To Learn literacy materials were

particularly effective at promoting children’s vocabulary and language sound knowledge.

• Significant positive effects were also found for alphabet knowledge.

Trend:  Effects Larger When Supplemented with 

Parent/Teacher Support & Activities

The Ruff Ruffman Show Content & Engagement Studies

3 Studies by EDC & SRI 1. Ruff Ruffman Family &

Community Learning Workshop

2. Ruff Ruffman Sensational Science Camp

3. Ruff Ruffman Playful Learning Experience (underway)

Methods• Mixed-methods study • 6 Community Collaborative sites • Repeated observations: children & facilitators• Surveys: parents • Interviews: parents & facilitators

Early Findings• Parents felt camps and FCLs were positive experiences

for their children. They learned and became excited about science.

• Children engaged in some science and engineering practices.

• Parents said their children talked about camp science activities at home.

Early Findings• 96% of parents surveyed in FCL workshops reported

being more confident about helping their child learn science.

• Parents said FCL participation gave them more ideas and activities to do around the house with their children.

• Parents said they increased their science talk and activities at home.

READY TO LEARN Research

of parents

Percentage of Parents Who Feel “Very Confident” in Their Ability to Help Their Children Learn Age-Appropriate Skills

Questions?

Explore More At…

pbslearningmedia.org/readytolearn

edc.org/what-parents-talk-about