WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 1, 2020 – Local public television stations in all 50 States are now providing remote learning resources to families during the coronavirus outbreak.
“Public television stations continue to step forward to pursue their mission of education in extraordinary ways under extraordinary circumstances,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations. “Providing such services in all 50 States, we are helping millions of students continue their education during the national emergency.”
Since last week’s APTS press release, many new initiatives have been announced by local public television stations, some of which are highlighted below.
In Alaska, Alaska Public Media has partnered with the Anchorage School District to broadcast educational content for students from preK to 12th grade and to provide educational content online through a specially curated set of PBS LearningMedia, interactive lessons aligned to grade levels, grades and subjects so that teachers working on remote learning plans can more easily access relevant digital resources.
In Illinois, Illinois Public Media has prepared a number of educational offerings across multiple platforms, supporting at-home learning for students ranging from Pre-K to 12th grade. WILL-TV (channel 12.1) is now presenting a new daytime lineup of educational programming tailored to students Pre-K through 5th grade. Families can count on award-winning PBS KIDS programs geared towards 3- to 7-year-old children from 6 a.m. until noon, 4- to 8-year-old children from noon to 3 p.m., and 6 to 12-year-old children until 5 p.m. Families can find online resources, including free games and apps, on-demand videos, printable PDFs, and articles for parents supporting the at-home learning effort at will.illinois.edu/athomelearning. Similarly, all programs presented during this time of at-home learning have associated learning materials available for download on PBS LearningMedia. Additionally, Illinois Public Media is partnering with Champaign Unit 4 Schools to ensure local families are made aware the programs and resources offered and how to access them.
In Ohio, all eight public television stations have come together to broadcast expanded educational programming for kids preK-12th grade as part of a “#LearnAtHome,” initiative to provide students, parents and teachers with additional educational resources for remote learning while schools are closed. These broadcasts are particularly helpful to kids and families, particularly some in rural areas, who may have limited or no internet access. The effort has the support of Ohio State Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria.
In Oregon, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) has adjusted its television schedules to support K-12 students with grade-level and subject-based programs during the coronavirus outbreak. This initiative will provide thousands of children access to educational lessons while Oregon schools are closed. OPB’s primary broadcast television channel now focuses on educational content from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Programs serve all ages throughout the day, starting with preschool programming in the morning and ending with high school programming in the afternoon. Find the full schedule of programs at opb.org/schedules.
In Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Education is partnering with the state’s six public television stations to deliver daily instructional content for Tennessee students during COVID-19 school closures. This partnership will provide all students with access to daily learning opportunities at home. Starting April 6, Tennessee’s six PBS stations — WNPT Nashville, East Tennessee PBS, WCTE Upper Cumberland, WKNO Memphis, West TN PBS, and Chattanooga WTCI — will deliver two hours of programming with high-quality instructional content from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST. Four hours of content will also be streamed overnight, which viewers can watch live or record. The content will be developed and provided by Tennessee educators in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education and meets a critical need to ensure all students have access to high-quality learning opportunities, regardless of the availability of internet connectivity or capable devices.
In West Virginia, West Virginia Public Broadcasting is now broadcasting a daily, five-hour At Home Learning Service for students in grades 6-12 on the West Virginia Channel. The At-Home Learning lineup includes science, history and English language arts programming with related learning assets from PBS LearningMedia, a free online service of thousands of educational resources. The West Virginia Channel is available free over the air, reaching students who do not have internet access. West Virginia Public Broadcasting also provides a number of other resources to help students, parents and teachers with remote learning. Including full lesson plans for STEM activities for grades K-5 and printables for curriculum based learning activities for PreK- 2 grade. West Virginia Public Television has also worked with the West Virginia Department of Education to create a series called Education Station that features West Virginia teachers in a classroom setting presenting their favorite lessons.
In Wisconsin, Milwaukee PBS will broadcast programming in support of at-home learning beginning Monday, March 30 on WMVS, Milwaukee PBS Channel 36.1. A collaboration with Wisconsin PBS and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, this programming will support at-home learning for children in grades K through 12th grade. The Milwaukee PBS broadcasts will include broadcast programming and digital resources that connect to Wisconsin's state academic standards. The at-home learning programming will air from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily with blocks of time for K-12th grade levels in the subject areas of English language arts, social studies, math and science. The special broadcast schedule will also be available to stream online at pbswisconsin.org/familyresources along with corresponding free digital content for at-home learning and support for teachers navigating this new learning landscape. Milwaukee PBS has free digital resources for at-home learning at milwaukeepbs.org/onlineresources/.
Additional information about public television at-home learning services across the country is available on the APTS website.
###
About APTS
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system and helping member stations provide essential public services in education, public safety and civic leadership to the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
Contact:
Stacey Karp
202-654-4222
skarp@apts.org