PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, offer all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and outreach programs with positive role models and content designed to nurture a child’s total well-being. PBS leverages the full spectrum of media, technology and community to build a child’s knowledge, critical thinking, imagination and curiosity. PBSkids.org and PBSkidsgo.org are two of the most popular online destinations for children as they begin to explore technology and are often parents’ first stop when their children are ready to experience the Web. In September 2008, PBS KIDS GO! launched its video player (pbskidsgo.org/video), featuring hundreds of video clips and dozens of full-length episodes. Since launch, visitors have streamed more than 52 million videos. In 2009, pbskids.org has attracted on average more than 8.6 million unique visitors and 394 million page views per month.

PBS’s children’s schedule guides children in each of the four key areas of childhood development – cognitive, social, emotional and physical. PBS KIDS works with experienced educational film or television producers who involve children, educational researchers, parents, educators, daycare providers and subject-matter experts in the design and production process and conduct research to determine the best ways to engage children in active viewing in order to achieve the educational goals within the content.

PBS requires its children’s producers to create educational support materials for young people and the adults who care for them. Programs are extended beyond broadcast to interactive learning activities on pbskids.org and pbskidsgo.org, as well as through educational outreach activities and print materials.

Series-based research has proven that PBS’s preschool and early elementary school content contributes towards engaging and inspiring children to succeed in the core curriculum areas that lead the nation’s education agenda. For example, a recent study on the preschool series SUPER WHY, conducted by the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, illustrated that the series strengthens the literacy skills of preschoolers, with all kids showing statistically significant improvement on standardized literacy tests. Most notably, the children from low-income families with poor reading skills and at risk for failure in school scored 46% higher on standardized tests than those who did not watch SUPER WHY.

Other series-based research on programs including BETWEEN THE LIONS and WORD WORLD has also proven a significant impact in children’s literacy skill development by watching these programs. Series such as SESAME STREET and BARNEY & FRIENDS have proven their ability to positively impact children’s school readiness and have helped children develop core social emotional skills to better relate to and communicate with their peers. For school-age children, research conducted on CYBERCHASE demonstrates the series’ success in helping children strengthen their math skills, while studies conducted on MAYA & MIGUEL have proven the series’ ability to help children develop positive attitudes towards ethnic diversity. For more information on series-based research, please see the contact information below.

With programs including SID THE SCIENCE KID, CURIOUS GEORGE, CYBERCHASE and the soon-to-premiere DINOSAUR TRAIN, PBS is providing more opportunities for children to further develop an interest and appreciation for science, technology, engineering and math. As a critical area of development, PBS is strengthening its offerings around this curriculum area to invite children to explore the natural and life sciences – both personally and globally.

PBS Parents (pbsparents.org) features articles, advice and blogs from the “Super Sisters” according to a child’s developmental milestone on a wide variety of parenting topics ranging from picky eaters to children and media. Educators can find materials for classroom use and other resources through PBS Teachers (teachers.org) , a Web portal that offers a one-stop source resource for pre-K-12 educators searching for wide-ranging curriculum resources, video products (Shop for Teachers), and online professional development opportunities (PBS TeacherLine) as well as a community to share ideas.

FALL 2009

DINOSAUR TRAIN -- new series premiere -- The new CGI-animated series from the Jim Henson Company, DINOSAUR TRAIN, premiers Labor Day, September 7, 2009. The new series embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills as the audience learns about natural science, natural history and paleontology. DINOSAUR TRAIN is seen through the eyes of Buddy, a preschool-aged Tyrannosaurus Rex. Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons go for adventures on the Dinosaur Train to meet all kinds of dinosaurs in different eras and learn fascinating new facts about these incredible creatures.

THE ELECTRIC COMPANY -- moving to daily series -- Starting September 7th, THE ELECTRIC COMPANY will be charging up PBS KIDS GO! with a daily dose of literacy superheroes and wily pranksters that reinforce strong literacy skills and teach kids that reading isn’t just for school—reading is cool.

PBS KIDS -- new season highlights -- IT’S A BIG BIG WORLD introduces live-action “Snook on the Road” segments and a new character, Riona, the baby sloth. CURIOUS GEORGE introduces preschoolers to the concepts of nutrition, physical fitness, and why pesky germs can cause the sniffles—and the smartest way to fight them off. Lots of green themes this season, including SESAME STREET’s 40th season and BARNEY & FRIENDS, which will focus on the animals, plants and insects that live in the rainforest.

PBS KIDS GO! -- new season highlights -- ARTHUR tackles the sensitive subject of a character’s cancer treatment in a thoughtful and appropriate way and includes a special animated appearance by Lance Armstrong. FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN kicks off its new season with science-themed challenges that include exploring underwater communication and navigation, purifying space shuttle wastewater, and discovering how to build a better tennis racquet. 

The year 2008 marked the eleventh consecutive year that PBS earned more Daytime Emmys for its children’s programming than any other broadcast or cable network. SESAME STREET has now won a total of 118 Daytime Emmys, more than any other program in the history of the Emmy® competition. CURIOUS GEORGE was recognized as the Outstanding Children’s Animated Program of 2008. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation’s 356 public television stations, serving more than 115 million people on-air and online each month and reaching 99% of American homes.

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CONTACTS: Jill Corderman, 703/739-5788; jcorderman@pbs.org, or, Jake Landis, 703/739-5362; jwlandis@pbs.org

PBS.ORG/PRESSROOM

Augsut 2009