The PBS Ready To Learn television service is a national effort to improve the school readiness of young children through the reach of public broadcasting.

The core of Ready To Learn is a full day of non-violent, commercial-free, educational children's television programming that is broadcast free of charge to every American household.

The daily broadcast includes award-winning PBS KIDS programs such as Arthur, Dragon Tales, Clifford, Between the Lions, Reading Rainbow, and Sesame Street.

Ready To Learn also provides extensive outreach services to the local area. These services include workshops for parents, childcare providers and other early childhood professionals as well as the distribution of children's books and PBS Families/PBS Para la Familia magazine.

Ready To Learn also provides extensive outreach services in local communities. These services include workshops for parents, childcare providers and other early childhood professionals and distribution of children's books and PBS Families/Para la Familia magazine. Ready To Learn is funded by a Ready To Learn Television Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education through the Public Broadcasting Service.

Children's Program Schedule

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Children and Television
As part of our goal to get kids "ready to learn," we assist parents and early childhood educators across the nation use public television resources to help children love learning. Second only to parents, television is the young child's most influential teacher. Nothing else in our culture can match television's ability to influence how children learn, think, and act. Given the power of television, young children need adults to help them become wise television users. Many studies show that with selective viewing, television can contribute to school readiness. To help children get the most from the TV they watch, parents must take responsibility to supervise and guide their children's TV viewing.

• Tips for Parents Printout
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• For more information for parents go to PBS Parents at www.pbs.parents
  

Community Events
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Workshops for Parents, Teachers, and Caregivers
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On-air Educational Messages
Messages for children related to reading and learning are promoted through non-commercial video breaks aired between PBS Kids television programs.

PBS Families and para la Familia
PBS Families/para la Familia, a magazine printed in English and Spanish, is published twice a year as part of the Ready To Learn service. It is distributed through local stations to parents, childcare providers and other education professionals through outreach activities.

Books for Children
Through workshops and related activities, every Ready To Learn station distributes 300 books per month to children who otherwise would not have books of their own. The books, provided to local stations as part of the Ready To Learn agreement, are secured through a partnership with First Book.