Families Invited to Join PBS for a Summer of Learning

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• Published on June 8, 2020 • Last modified on August 17, 2020

PBS and member stations across the country are helping families adjust to a different kind of summer with distance learning broadcast schedules, new free digital resources, activities, content and more from PBS KIDS and PBS LearningMedia

PBS KIDS Read-Alongs Continue All Summer Long with Upcoming Special Guests Kristen Bell, Jenna Bush Hager & Barbara Pierce Bush and More to Be Announced

Arlington, VA, June 8, 2020 – As parents and educators face unprecedented concerns about summer learning loss, PBS aims to help with new resources, content, activities and virtual events on the national and local levels. This summer, while schedules are difficult to predict and usual activities may not be an option, PBS is supporting distance learning and making trusted educational activities accessible to all.

“Learning throughout the summer is critically important for young children. However, given the current landscape and its ongoing impact to education and summer camps as we know it, it’s more important than ever that caregivers and educators are given the support they need,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, Children’s Media and Education, PBS. “We’re thrilled to offer an evolved slate of educational activities that encourage all to continue to play, explore and learn this summer, from home.”

PBS and local stations in communities across the country will continue to offer on-air programming to support distance learning, providing critical educational content that is accessible to all families – especially those with limited access to high-speed internet. These options include the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel available nationwide, the WORLD channel daily, five-hour At-Home Learning Service, and an At-Home Learning schedule provided to PBS stations through a partnership of PBS SoCal, KQED and The Programming Service, as well as locally driven educational broadcast initiatives. Corresponding learning resources from PBS LearningMedia are also available to complement TV schedules. Viewers can check their local listings for special distance learning schedule information.

Fans of PBS KIDS will get a chance to see new episodes from family-favorite and new series, including the premiere of new series, HERO ELEMENTARY (premiered June 1), the SESAME STREET: WHEN YOU WISH UPON A PICKLE special – featuring guest stars Amanda Seyfried and Blake Lively (July 13), and new episodes of DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD (beginning August 17) to help young learners transition from summer time to school time in August. New episodes will premiere on PBS stations (check local listings) and will be available on pbskids.org, the free PBS KIDS Video App and the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and live stream.

PBS KIDS will offer a reimagined “summer camp” for young learners that will fill the days with creativity, exploration and fun for kids ages 2-8 and the whole family, with resources that support learning and virtual engagement:

Camp PBS KIDS resources can be found at PBS KIDS for Parents and include articles, activities, booklists and more about different themes such as reading, art and science
The free PBS KIDS Daily newsletter will offer families at-home activities including cooking, music, dance, experiments and weekend “camp” activities all summer long.
PBS KIDS Read-Alongs will continue to take place every Monday and Friday at noon ET, featuring story-times with special guest readers and beloved children’s book authors on the PBS KIDS' Facebook page and YouTube channel. Special guests will continue to be announced throughout the summer. Upcoming readings include:
- June 8 – “The World Needs More Purple People” with Kristen Bell
- June 12 – “Goldilicious” with Victoria Kann
- June 15 – “Sisters First” with Jenna Bush Hager & Barbara Pierce Bush
Past readings available now include “Mondays with Michelle Obama,” “You Matter” with Christian Robinson, the Kratt Brothers and more all on PBS KIDS Facebook and YouTube.

For the many educators continuing to teach or seeking professional learning opportunities over the summer, PBS is providing a host of free resources on PBS LearningMedia:

Two updated collections for summer instruction:
- Camp PBS LearningMedia (PreK-Grade 2)
- Summer of Learning Collection (Grade PreK-12)
Virtual Professional Learning Series Hub, which brings together content experts and educators from all backgrounds. Throughout August, educators can continue take part in virtual professional learning events, where they can explore and share distance learning best practices and build their skillset for the upcoming school year.
- For PreK-2 educators, this includes two weeks of professional learning events– one focused on tech integration for distance learning (beginning August 3) and the second on social emotional learning (beginning August 10).
- For K-12, there will be a Back to School Breakout challenge, in which educators can take part in an event that will highlight PBS LearningMedia tools, collections and resources (August 20).

Images and additional programming information are available on PBS PressRoom.

About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 126 million people through television and 26 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’ 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. Decades of research confirms that PBS’ premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.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 and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.