WTVI and PBS KIDS offer resources to help kids bridge the summer learning gap

This summer, WTVI and PBS KIDS are making it easy to help kids bridge the summer learning gap by offering fun and educational content and tools to families for free on-air and via PBSPARENTS.org/read. Research shows that children who don’t maintain reading skills over the summer are likely to start the upcoming school year at a disadvantage. To combat this summer slump, WTVI will run ten weeks of PBS KIDS special on-air programming and PBS KIDS will offer a variety of online resources and partnership activities.

“PBS KIDS’ content can play an important role in helping kids fight the summer learning slump through engaging and educational resources that can go anywhere with kids,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President, Children’s Media, PBS. “We want to inspire families to explore and enjoy educational activities together this summer, all to help boost kids’ reading skills.”

On-air Summer Reading Theme Weeks
WTVI is supporting literacy with ten weeks of themed PBS KIDS programming. Each week WTVI will feature reading-related episodes from a different PBS KIDS series. Episodic images and episode descriptions are available on PBS PressRoom. The line-up includes:

• MARTHA SPEAKS – “Martha Summer Fun Week” – starting June 27
• THE ELECTRIC COMPANY – “What’s the Story? Week” – starting July 4
• WORDGIRL – “WordGirl’s Ludicrously Literate Library Week” – starting July 11
• WILD KRATTS – “Wet Kratts Week” – starting July 18
• THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! – “Cool Cat Week” – starting July 25

Online and Mobile Resources for Families
PBS KIDS and PBS Parents have developed a myriad of online resources to keep kids learning all summer long. A re-launched PBSKIDS.org/read site includes interactive games that kids can play to build literacy skills, including PBS KIDS Island, an amusement park-themed game experience for preschoolers, and the Great Word Quest, an online scavenger hunt-style activity for kids ages 6 to 9. PBS Parents has an array of content available for parents, including downloadable printables featuring PBS KIDS characters, as well as tips and activity ideas for families to do together. Parents can also download free episodes of select PBS KIDS series via PBSParents.org – each week a new episode will be available, starting now and running through August. Families can also visit PBSKIDS.org/mobile and download a variety of PBS KIDS educational apps, including the new free PBS KIDS Video for iPad App, which features over 1,000 videos from PBS KIDS series.

Partnership Activities
The iVillage PBS KIDS Summer Reading Community Challenge runs from June 6 to July 15 and features free literacy-building resources for parents and children designed by the experts at PBS Parents and PBS KIDS. As Challenge Coach, Angela Santomero, Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer of SUPER WHY! and host of The Parent Show on PBS Parents, will provide daily reading activity assignments, answer parent questions and offer advice throughout the online event. Guest coaches such as cast members, characters, authors and series creators from PBS KIDS will also provide activities and ideas each week. iVillage, an online community for women, and PBS KIDS will also host reading parties with parent bloggers and within the iVillage community, reaching over 1,500 kids across the country.

Leon Levine Foundation grants $25,000 to WTVI for children’s programming

The Leon Levine Foundation has awarded WTVI, Charlotte’s PBS television station, a grant of $25,000 to support children’s programming. The grant acknowledges WTVI’s dedication to helping local citizens improve their lives, providing teachers with free educational resources and serving area children as the most positive and trusted use of television.

WTVI broadcasts 65 hours of PBS KIDS programming per week. PBS KIDS, the PBS brand for children’s programming, is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of children through curriculum-based entertainment with positive role models and content designed to nurture a child’s total well-being. Children ages three to six develop reading skills by watching shows such as Curious George, Sesame Street, Arthur, Word Girl, Martha Speaks, Super Why!, Between the Lions and WordWorld.

The Leon Levine Foundation seeks to improve and advance the human condition in four major areas: Education, Healthcare, Jewish Religion and Human Services. As part of the mission, it exists to support individuals and institutions pursuing academic excellence and providing access for disadvantaged and deserving individuals.

“We understand the tremendous benefit to children through the PBS KIDS programming,” says Leon Levine, Founder and Chairman of The Leon Levine Foundation. “We are proud to partner with WTVI to ensure access to this programming regardless of family income.”

As an example of the programming impact, children who watch Super Why! score 46 percent higher on standardized tests than those that do not watch the show, according to research conducted by Linebarger, D.L., Wainwright, D.K. and McMenamin, K, in "Summative Evaluation of Super Why!" from Annenberg School for Communication, at the University of Pennsylvania, in 2009. In addition, other studies show pre-schoolers from low-income communities who participate in PBS KIDS' curriculum outscore their peers who do not participate on all tested measures of early literacy.

“It is so encouraging that the Leon Levine Foundation, a major community benefactor, recognizes the importance of starting children out right in their lives with appropriate programming delivered through a popular medium,” says Elsie Garner, CEO at WTVI. “This grant will help WTVI continue to provide the non-commercialized programming that our children need and deserve. Because public television is accessible in every home regardless of income, no government agency, no social service and no physical classroom has WTVI’s reach.”

WTVI also provides extensive community outreach for children. WTVI's Raising Readers Literacy program serves over 18,600 children located at 550 sites throughout WTVI's 13-county viewing area. Through the Raising Readers initiative, WTVI provides free workshops for educators and child care providers, children's books, curriculum materials and resources for parents. The workshops are designed to train adults to teach children the basic literacy skills that will help them enter school ready to learn. Sites include Head Start, after school programs, child development centers, home day cares and bi-lingual preschools.

The American public has named PBS and its member stations the most trusted institution among nationally-known organizations for seven consecutive years. Local research shows 85% of Mecklenburg residents think it is important for Charlotte to have its own public station.

Don’t cut the teacher with the largest classroom in Mecklenburg County

By William L. Fuller, WTVI Chairman of the Board, and HR Planning and Performance Director, Duke Energy

It is a privilege to volunteer my time as board chair of WTVI, the only public television station with programming and outreach events developed in Charlotte to meet local community needs.

WTVI is dedicated to helping people improve their lives, providing teachers with free educational resources, engaging viewers in civil conversations about issues and serving children as the most positive and trusted use of television.

WTVI depends on financial support from viewers and local government. In 1981, Mecklenburg County contracted to provide funding for its public television station. For 30 years, funding remained in place. However, for the current fiscal year (FY11), the commissioners removed all operating funding for WTVI. Again, in the proposed budget for FY12, WTVI receives no funding. The county deems our station not an “essential community service.”

If the county continues to cut funding, we will all be the poorer, losing shows that help teach our children to read, documentaries that open new worlds, a focus on local history, non-commercialized news programs that keep us informed on world events, and free music, theater, dance and art. For many, WTVI is the only opportunity to see a Broadway show, visit a national park or have a front row seat at a popular music concert.

WTVI is the local franchise of PBS, America’s largest classroom, available to all children including those who can’t attend preschool. Almost 40% of kids 3-5 don’t attend preschool or kindergarten. Children who start school behind often stay behind. Young people who never see the inside of a pre-K classroom are more likely to be in special education classes, more likely to drop out of high school and more likely to get into crime. Because public television is accessible in every home regardless of income, no government agency, no social service and no physical classroom has WTVI’s reach.

WTVI has been recognized as one of the top five Ready to Learn (RTL) stations by the U.S. Department of Education, providing a unique educational safe haven for kids on TV and online. Ratings show that programs like Curious George, Super Why, and Sid the Science Kid are the most watched shows in the children's TV industry.

We could go on about WTVI’s focus on local history, science and citizenship, an education for children and adults alike. Did you know the ONLY reason the Freedom Riders came to Charlotte and held a community event on May 9, 2011, was because of WTVI’s nationally-known community outreach focus?

The American public has named PBS and its member stations the most trusted institution among nationally-known organizations for seven consecutive years. Local research shows 85% of Mecklenburg residents think it is important for Charlotte to have its own public station; 86% say the County should support WTVI financially.

And so we ask elected officials who represent us: “What part of ‘essential community service’ do you not understand?”

Open letter to Mecklenburg County Commissioners on WTVI funding

In reading the May 31, 2011, article in the Charlotte Observer about the potential of WTVI being completing cut out of any funding from Mecklenburg County, I was surprised. Given the tremendous amount of budget cut-backs you’re facing, I can understand the necessity of “cutting back” but not “cutting out.”

With the emphasis on the importance of education we’re facing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg it seems imperative to me that we keep WTVI’s programming available to viewers in our county because the station offers interesting, impactful and topical programs targeted to young children, middle-school children, high school students, and adults … with virtually no cost to viewers.

Many of the families who turn to WTVI for educational programming depend on the type of programming offered and cannot afford other resources to obtain it. Senior citizens who cannot get out of their houses, handicapped individuals of all ages who have difficulty getting transportation, young children who spend time in front of a TV set every day because they’re at home with babysitters, working men and women who can’t afford to attend the opera, or ballet, or political forums, or science conventions, or even movie theaters … all are dependent on WTVI for quality educational programming.

Speaking for myself, I do not use our parks nor do I use our social services, yet I completely understand the importance of those entities for others who depend on them. The same reasoning should be considered in determining the importance of maintaining operations at WTVI.

I humbly ask that you consider including WTVI in your budget to this excellent, educational station on-air for the thousands of Mecklenburg County citizens who consider it essential. As I do.

Many thanks for your consideration of my plea and I send you my gratitude for the time and effort you each put into making Charlotte-Mecklenburg a great place to live and work.

Marilynn Bowler

Join WTVI for Charlotte's Day of Forgiveness - June 10, 2011

June 10, 2011, marks the first anniversary of Charlotte's Forgiveness Garden dedication in Freedom Park. On Friday, June 10, 2011, join WTVI and the Charlotte community at the Garden of Forgiveness, located across from Mahlon Adams Pavilion in Freedom Park.

At noon, Charlotte will hold a five-minute silent observation for community forgiveness. On this commemorative day, wherever you are, honor and reflect upon your path toward forgiveness.

A red bench will sit for years to come, symbolizing love, forgiveness and compassion. We hope the spirit and symbolism of the Forgiveness Garden will endure in your hearts and contribute to our healing.

For more information, contact Beverly Dorn-Steele at bds@wtvi.org or 704-371-8840.