A commitment to education has been a pillar of public media for more than 50 years. CPB initiatives span the range of formal education and informal learning starting with early childhood, helping students overcome large hurdles in middle and high school, and encouraging every child to become an American graduate.
Public media’s system of local stations, which reach virtually every child in the country, is a critical component of our education work. From the start, stations have transformed how children learn by using television to teach letters, numbers, and social- emotional learning through iconic series such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. In recent years, stations have expanded their content on digital platforms to increase community understanding and dialogue around significant issues.
CPB’s education goals are to:
- Maintain and advance a vibrant children’s content service, and,
- Help stations connect to diverse audiences and meet community needs.
We achieve these goals through by awarding grants to:
- Producers for the creation of content, education and engagement resources
- Stations for work with communities and schools
- Researchers for evaluation of effectiveness (Ready To Learn)
CPB recently awarded $500,000 to 50 public media stations to explore innovative education programs. These $10,000 grants will help fund research and planning, a crucial first step for stations to assess local needs and opportunities and to innovate on a local level.
CPB funds children’s content and two major education initiatives: Ready To Learn and American Graduate: Getting To Work.. These initiatives advance public media’s educational mission, give stations the opportunity to increase local service and attract financial support, and reinforce the public’s perception of the important role public media plays in educating America’s youth.
