Public Media Education Resources in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Public media stations are playing a vital role in providing education resources to support remote learning for students and teachers and to provide families and school systems with enhanced support during this unprecedented time. Below are some examples of these resources.

Additionally, read about public media's education partnerships with school districts, governments and education agencies.

Nationwide Resources

  • PBS KIDS 24/7 Broadcast
    Stations throughout the country run a PBS KIDS 24/7 channel (for young learners ages 2-8) filled with trusted educational content that is available for free, over the air to all families. PBS KIDS offers anytime access to more than twenty series aligned to curriculum goals – from science and math, to literacy and life lessons. Available on-air via your local PBS station, and livestreaming on the PBS KIDS Video app and pbskids.org.
     
  • WORLD Channel At-Home Learning Service
    This remote learning service (for learners grades 6-12) will feature broadcast programming linked to at-home learning resources that can be used by educators to supplement distance learning plans, or by parents to provide added enrichment and support for children’s educational needs. In partnership with WGBH, from 12 noon to 5 p.m. ET weekdays, the WORLD Channel offers programs on math, science, social studies and English language arts, curated by educators and aligned to related digital resources on PBS LearningMedia.
     
  • PBS KIDS Daily Email for Parents
    PBS KIDS is sending a daily email to families with resources for how to engage the nation’s youngest learners. When schools began to close in March due to COVID, the American Pediatric Academy listed PBS as a valuable resource for families during these challenging times. PBS was the only media company mentioned in the article.
     
  • PBS KIDS Video
    Available on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices, PBS KIDS offers on-demand educational videos and a livestream of the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. No subscription is required.
     
  • PBS KIDS Games App
    Includes nearly 200 educational games, which can be downloaded for offline play anytime, anywhere. Learn more about this and PBS KIDS’ other apps at pbskids.org/apps.
     
  • PBS KIDS for Parents
    A robust website with information, activities and tips for parents, including resources for talking with kids about coronavirus, encouraging healthy habits, managing worried feelings and supporting playful learning at home.
     
  • PBS LearningMedia
    A partnership between PBS and WGBH, educators can find at-home learning resources through PBS LearningMedia connected to current broadcast programming, professional learning support, lesson planning kits and more in the PreK-12 Resources for New School Routines collection, which will continue to be updated in the coming weeks. Educator resources in Spanish are also available.
     
  • PBS LearningMedia Newsletter
    A weekly newsletter for educators PreK through 12th grade, showcasing digital offerings that support new school routines.

Local Station Resources and Partnerships

Alabama

  • Alabama Public Television (APT) announced “Learn at Home with Alabama Public Television.” APT will modify regularly scheduled weekday programming on its main channel beginning April 6 to offer specific pre-K-12 resources. Program modifications will take place throughout the duration of school closures and will address a wide variety of content areas. Educators and parents will have access to supplemental lesson plans and curriculum materials to facilitate meaningful use of the content.

    APT’s digital channel 4, the World Channel, will also update its schedule to devote daytime hours to support education beginning March 30. And young children can continue to enjoy their favorite PBS programs 24 hours a day on APT’s digital channel 2, the PBS KIDS Channel.

    APT has also curated PBS and APT educational resources to help support parents, caregivers and students. Archives of APT-produced learning adventures (electronic field trips) are being added to APT’s regular broadcast schedule. APT is regularly updating the Alabama State Department of Education on all these efforts.

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.
     
  • KUAC TV (Fairbanks, AK), in partnership with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, is offering five hours a day of At Home Learning for sixth through 12th graders on its WORLD Channel. The station is also offering 10.5 hours of PBS Kids programming on its primary channel for kindergartners through fifth graders and 24/7/365 children's programming on its PBS Kids Channel. KUAC set up a Homeschool Resource Guide on its website and, in conjunction with the school district, invited teachers to attend a live history night with Ken Burns on April 29.

Arizona

  • Arizona Public Media and Arizona PBS are working together to roll out a unified approach for all Arizona school districts, classroom teachers, and parents who are working at home to keep their children educationally engaged. Arizona Public Media and Arizona PBS are partnering to offer Arizonans broadcast programming and accompanying digital resources that adhere to our state curriculum to provide continued at-home learning.

Arkansas

  • Arkansas PBS has bolstered its partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education to broadcast “streamlined, curriculum-based programming” to Arkansas children learning from home. Beginning Monday, March 30, Arkansas PBS will modify their broadcast schedule to provide curriculum aligned programming for PreK – 8th grade students from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays. The televised lessons will be available throughout the state to children without internet access.

    Arkansas PBS LearningMedia will aid teachers and parents with kids’ at-home learning, through ArkansasIDEAS. Instructional packets, including lesson plans and other resources, are available, searchable by grade and subject.

California

  • All public television stations have committed to support K-12 learning at home.
     
  • California public media stations have joined forces to create the California Public Media Education Service coalition to better support teachers, families and students throughout the State. Together, KQED in San Francisco, PBS SoCal in Southern California and the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association have partnered with eight other California public media stations in this effort. Their goal is to ensure that no matter the geographical location, educators can take advantage of free digital resources and online events offered by public media from across the State, all collected in one, easy-to-navigate place. California Public Media Education Service partner stations include KPBS, Valley PBS, KVCR, KLCS, KVIE, KNPB | PBS Reno, KXIE and NorCal Public Media.
     
  • PBS SoCal KCET is partnering with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest, to provide educational resources — both on-air and on-line — to 700,000 students. PBS SoCal KCET is offering broadcast programming and accompanying digital resources that adhere to California’s state curriculum to provide continued at-home learning.
     
  • KPBS in San Diego, in collaboration with the San Diego Unified School District and the San Diego County Office of Education, is offering at-home learning options for students, teachers and parents.
     
  • KQED, serving the people of Northern California, is also offering new educational resources including a new educational schedule for broadcast on KQED Plus in the Bay Area as well as free corresponding digital learning media and activities for at-home learning. KQED is also providing support for teachers and parents in navigating this new learning landscape throughout the state.
     
  • Empire KVCR launched a partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) to support at-home learning. Empire KVCR is now offering students, families and teachers programming aligned to California’s state curriculum on TV Channel 24 and kvcr.org/education.

    San Bernardino Community College District owns the broadcast license for Empire KVCR.
     
  • As part of the public media mission to ensure all kids, regardless of their capabilities, have access to continued free educational resources at home, PBS KVIE in Sacramento, in partnership with other California PBS stations and the Sacramento City Unified School District, is offering broadcast programming for grades pre-K through 12th grade that adheres to California’s state curriculum to provide continued at-home learning. See the broadcast schedules, as well as resources for caregivers and educators.

Colorado

  • Rocky Mountain Public Media (RMPM) is providing educational resources for children across the state who have been affected by school closures through its Rocky Mountain PBS (RMPBS) stations and digital presence at rmpbs.org. Rocky Mountain PBS will air educational programs from 6am to 5pm, weekdays, to support at-home learning while schools are closed due to COVID-19 measures. Accompanying lesson plans and/or digital materials will be provided weekly. This initiative will provide all students with access to free educational resources at home, both on-air and online, regardless of their broadband access.

    Rocky Mountain PBS is partnering with Denver Public Schools, and is seeking to work with other districts statewide, to curate complementary resources for on-air programs, including lesson plans and teaching guides from accredited teachers.

    Rocky Mountain PBS is airing teacher created instructional content every day through a service called Colorado Classroom.

    Additionally, beginning September 7, Rocky Mountain PBS (RMPBS) is broadcasting Colorado Classroom: Learn with Me at Home as a free in-home broadcast, providing K-3 learners with access to direct-to-home remote lessons in literacy, science, art and math, including those families who may not have consistent access to high-speed internet.

    Broadcasting on RMPBS channels statewide in English with Spanish closed captioning, the program provides fun lessons for K-3 learners in reading, science, art and math lessons with Master Teachers from around Colorado to help children and their parents and caregivers stay engaged in learning. Videos and learning guides are organized by weekly themes.

Connecticut

  • Connecticut Public’s Thinkalong online learning tool is available for free to help support middle school students as they build critical thinking, media literacy and debate skills. Thinkalong provides a framework for students to examine issues ranging from civics and social studies to science. Every topic is based on current events in order to remain relevant to students. Thinkalong encourages students to evaluate sources, consider multiple sides of an argument, and engage in respectful dialogue. Thinkalong provides teacher guides for each topics, graphic organizers to help students organize their thoughts online or printed out, relevant readings, relevant videos and the framework for developing pros and cons and even virtual debates. This free tool can be used by school systems, teachers, parents and students.

    Connecticut Public’s TV and digital platforms are also delivering up to 75 hours per week of accessible educational programming that is free to students, parents and teachers throughout Connecticut. These resources include WORLD At-Home Learning, CPTV/PBS KIDS TV Programming, Thinkalong - Current Events for the Curious Classroom, a ‘Learn At Home’ Newsletter from Connecticut Public, and Extending Educational Opportunities to the Workforce - Making the Future and Getting to Work.

Delaware

  • WHYY, serving Delaware, has free resources, programming and activities that can make the day-to-day easier for kids, parents, and teachers while schools are closed. WHYY is airing an expanded lineup of children’s programming for Pre-K to 2nd Grade students from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the main channel, and educational programs for grades 2 -12 are available free over the air on the Y2 channel. WHYY is also providing free, interactive, standards-aligned videos, lesson plans, interactive tools, and activities at PBSLearningMedia.org.

Florida

  • Florida PBS stations are banding together to support at home learning for students by delivering a new weekday television schedule of educational programs. The schedule includes schedule includes specific blocks of time for Pre-K through 12th grade levels and covers subjects, including English language arts, social studies, science and math. These programs are aligned to state standards and are free and accessible from home. This unique and special educational programming and PBS LearningMedia are extraordinary tools that are easy to access from home and they’re made available as a free service from Florida’s public media.

    At Home Learning Stations include WEDU - Tampa/St. Petersburg, WFSU – Tallahassee/Panama City, WGCU - Ft. Myers/Naples, WJCT – Jacksonville, WLRN – Miami, WPBT – Miami, WSRE – Pensacola, WUCF – Orlando, WUFT - Gainesville/Ocala and WXEL - Boynton Beach.

    Florida PBS stations also launched special programming and online educational resources to help with distance learning. Their new content includes: WEDU PBS At-Home Learning with Dalia Colon (Tampa/St. Petersburg); Bright Ideas for At Home Learning (WSRE/Pensacola); Virtual Workshop Series for Early Childhood Education Providers (WFSU/Tallahassee); and KidVision Pre-K Virtual Field Trips (WPBT/Miami). In addition, South Florida PBS held a virtual screening of Changing Seas and Kid Stew’s Season 3 premiere.

  • South Florida PBS's Health Channel is helping the South Florida community and communities across the nation, informing and educating its residents about the current Coronavirus health crisis.
     
  • As part of the Florida Public Media Partnership, and in consultation with educators, including Duval County Public Schools, WJCT (Jacksonville), has launched a weekday television schedule of educational programs aligned with state standards. WJCT also offers a suite of free digital learning resources accessible from home.
     
  • Due to Florida’s school closures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and WLRN Public Media are working together to support at-home learning for students by delivering a weekday television schedule of educational programs.
     
  • WUCF in Orlando, FL, has updated its “Meet the Helpers” resource site to include information about COVID-19, including new videos to help parents talk to kids about this crisis and to help kids handle the unpredictable nature of this time. The resources also help teach kids about important hygiene measures to keep them safe. The station is also creating and sharing free digital content for at-home learning and support for teachers navigating this new learning landscape.

    Additionally, WUCF is partnering with Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) in an effort to provide engaging lessons created by OCPS teachers for the county’s K-2nd grade students. These videos compliment workbook materials all OCPS students in K-2 received for summer enrichment. The WUCF programming content will consist of a wide variety of educational materials including, but not limited to, at-home learning instruction, school and district events, and superintendent and district leadership news conferences. The content is available on the station’s multicast channel as well as online.

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

  • Idaho Public Television (IdahoPTV) has compiled numerous resources to help support the residents of their state during this crisis. These include specific resources for educators, students and families to help figure out how to continue learning from home. IdahoPTV is also broadcasting 10+ hours a day of educational programming via the Learning at Home initiative, to ensure that kids have access to educational content regardless of having an internet connection.

    Idaho Public Television created a distance learning ecosystem providing broadcast programming on the CREATE channel for grades K-12, and bilingual resources for all grade levels pre-K-12 to help support families, educators and communities during this crisis. Idaho’s PBS LearningMedia includes national and local collections, such as Idaho Experience (social studies for grades 4-6) and Idaho Science Journal (for grades 9-12).

    Additionally, Idaho Public Television’s “Classroom Idaho: Learn @ Home” programming is connecting students with certified Idaho teachers so that they can finish learning for the balance of this school year. Idaho teachers are providing instruction to students in grades K-6 via Idaho Public Television’s CREATE channel (one of our five free over-the-air broadcast channels). The instruction will be aligned with what the students would be learning if they were still attending their brick-and-mortar schools.

    The same lessons will also be available in playlists for students with connectivity at IdahoPTV’s YouTube channel.

    Classroom Idaho: Learn @ Home is a partnership of Idaho Public Television, Idaho Business for Education (IBE) and the State Department of Education.

Illinois

  • WSIU Public Broadcasting in Carbondale moved swiftly to respond to school closures. Collaborating with public media partners at the State and national level, as well as with regional offices of education and school districts across Illinois, the station developed multi-platform resources to support home learning.

    WSIU launched an around the clock, commercial-free educational channel for families of children ages two through eight. PBS KIDS 24/7 reaches households with some of the most popular children's media such as Arthur, Clifford and Sesame Street through free, over-the-air broadcast and video streaming. Providing children with lessons in literacy, science, math, world culture and social-emotional skills, these programs are essential to school readiness and success in life.

    In addition to the daily line-up of PBS KIDS programming, WSIU added instructional programming for middle and high school students. On April 6, the station initiated a five-hour weekday instructional program block on World Channels. On April 13, a four-hour weekday instructional program block was added on the primary channels, ensuring that all students have a free alternative to internet service to continue their education at home while schools are closed. The instructional television broadcast is complemented by on-air tune-in messages, a robust website at https://www.wsiu.org/learn with downloadable educational material, and an ongoing social media campaign using Facebook and Twitter to draw attention to public media services for distance education. Using the hashtag #KeepLearning, the stations' social media channels and posts are cross-referenced to Illinois State Board of Education's Remote Learning Days. They continue to broadcast instructional programming on our primary channels through summer months to help offset learning gaps among families at home. Prompted by K-12 school districts in the local service region, WSIU is are exploring the feasibility of locally produced instructional TV content for the fall semester.

    WSIU continues to work with local educators to develop and distribute content for PBS LearningMedia and to offer PBS TeacherLine professional development opportunities. Preschool through high school teachers rely on PBS LearningMedia, a free service that offers thousands of learning materials aligned to State and national standards. The site allows educators to curate and share educational media. Integrated with popular education technologies including Google Classroom and Remind, PBS LearningMedia inspires students to engage with media for powerful learning outcomes.

  • Illinois Public Media is ramping up their commitment to helping children of all ages learn at home. This effort to better serve teachers and parents includes 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.
     
  • WTTW is teaming up with Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot and Citadel on STAY HOME. HIT PLAY. This is a new series of behind the scenes “virtual field trips” at the city’s museums and cultural institutions that families can enjoy while staying at home. These will air on WTTW on Fridays and Mondays beginning May 1. In the first episode, Mayor Lightfoot takes audiences inside the Shedd Aquarium.
     
  • WTVP (Peoria, Illinois), the Peoria County Regional Office of Education (ROE) and Neighborhood House have forged an alliance to give students access to supplemental educational content via broadcast television.

    Quality remote learning resources will now be within reach to everyone in the community, especially those who do not have access to a computer, broadband internet or cable TV service. Marginalized students in urban areas and residents of rural communities have not had consistent access to engaging educational content during the time of school shutdowns and social distancing.

    Neighborhood House, 1020 South Matthew, Peoria, is currently feeding 200 children in the 61605 zip code. Beginning on May 20 and continuing while supplies last, families visiting Neighborhood House for lunches will receive a WTVP Summer Learning Bag that includes a schedule of WTVP’s educational content. All of the age-specific programming is broadcast over the air on PBS KIDS 47.2 and should be available on conventional televisions. No internet or cable access is required.

Indiana

  • The Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations (IPBS) are partnering with the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to offer at-home learning experiences for K-12 students, aligned to Indiana curriculum standards.

    Developed with the input of educators, PBS LearningMedia offers free, Indiana standards-aligned resources contextualized for educational use. The resources include grab-and-go activities, lesson plans, interactive lessons, and media that illustrate specific topics or themes, and support materials across multiple subjects. With offerings such as the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel, the WORLD Channel, and programs such as NOVA and Into the Outdoors, IPBS member stations are committed to ensuring educational programming and resources are widely accessible to students in Indiana.

    Accordingly, all eight IPBS television stations – Lakeshore Public Television (Merrillville,), PBS Fort Wayne, WFYI (Indianapolis), WIPB (Muncie), WNIN (Evansville), WNIT (South Bend), WTIU (Bloomington) and WVUT (Vincennes) – have published programming schedules and corresponding curriculum resource materials focusing on math, science, social studies, literacy and other subjects. Television program schedules have been augmented with information about grade-level appropriateness, subject area focus, and learning objectives.

    To view current schedules for grade level and subject programming, as well as correlating materials, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/elearning/2020-covid-19-remote-learning.

    For a map of regional IPBS television stations, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/news/ipbs-tv-locator-map-040320.pdf.

  • On August 24, 2020, Jennings County School Corporation (JCSC) and Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, Inc. (IPBS) announced a partnership that will provide datacasting technology to roughly 1,200 students in Jennings County who have little or no access to reliable broadband. Datacasting overcomes the unmet need for internet access by sending computer-based files over a television broadcast signal.

    IPBS member-station WTIU in Bloomington and SpectraRep, a leading provider of datacasting solutions, will carry out the implementation. Funding for the project was made possible by a $1.38 million grant awarded through Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s emergency education relief program (GEER Fund) to JCSC and IPBS. The GEER Fund was created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) for the purpose of developing and improving the availability of distance/remote learning techniques and technologies.

    Jennings County is a predominantly rural county located in southeastern Indiana. Datacasting has the potential to change the remote learning landscape for children and educators in rural, low-income, and internet desert communities because of its ability to transmit the same instructional content and educational resources that would normally require an internet connection.

  • WFYI in Indianapolis has created a special page of Schools Closed Educational Resources for kids, parents and caregivers and teachers.
     
  • WNIN in Evansville created a webpage with many educational resources to help parents, teachers and students.

Iowa

  • Iowa PBS is collaborating with the following agencies and organizations to provide access to educational enrichment options for students, parents and educators during the temporary disruption of classroom learning due to COVID-19: Iowa's Area Education Agencies, Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council, Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Reading Research Center.

    A partnership with the Science Center of Iowa to create short form video STEM demonstrations that currently have no audience while public amenities are closed. These fun, inspiring science experiments will encourage young people to explore the world within their own reach and perform activities that show how science is at work in everyday lives.

    Additionally, Iowa PBS is hosting a Virtual Learning Camp on Facebook beginning March 23. Families from across the state can keep their children's skills sharp through a guided online learning camp.

    Parents and caregivers can also visit www.iowapbs.org to find information on discussing coronavirus with children and educational games and activities to play with children during school closures. These include the new Iowa PBS STEAM activity booklet and various multimedia learning resources curated by grade level.

Kansas

  • Kansas’ students receive supplemental education content via television thanks to an alliance between the Kansas State Department of Education, the Continuous Learning Task Force and the Kansas Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), including KPTS in Wichita; KTWU in Topeka; KCPT in Kansas City; and Smoky Hills PBS in Bunker Hill. The new partnership is called Continuous Learning-Kansas Public Broadcasting Alliance and will give students of all ages another avenue for learning. Each 30-minute segment of the Learning Across Kansas television show will feature educational content and will be aired on PBS stations across Kansas.
     
  • KTWU in Topeka has links to a number of distance learning resources they offer, including PBS KIDS content and games, PBS Parents resources and PBS LearningMedia, providing digital learning objects categorized by grade and subject and available to all teachers, parents and students for free.
     
  • KPTS in Wichita has links to a number of distance learning resources under the FAMILY tab on their website, including PBS KIDS content and games, PBS Parents resources and PBS LearningMedia, providing digital learning objects categorized by grade and subject and available to all teachers, parents and students for free.
     
  • Smoky Hills PBS in Bunker Hill has established a special webpage with links to the many distance learning resources they offer, including PBS KIDS content and games, PBS Parents resources and PBS LearningMedia, providing digital learning objects categoriaed by grade and subject and available to all teachers, parents and students for free.

Kentucky

  • Kentucky Educational Television (KET) has altered their normal weekday program lineup on the main KET channel to now air 10 hours of educational programming specific to at-home learning for PreK-third grade, grades 4-8, and grades 9-12. KET Education has also curated instructional materials that students and parents can use alongside each episode.

    KET is supporting teachers as they transition to remote learning by offering numerous PBS LearningMedia resources to help make this process easier.

    As many high school equivalency prep and adult education classes are canceled due to public health safety measures, KET is offering free access to their adult education online courses, FastForward and Workplace Essential Skills.

Louisiana

Maine

  • Maine Public provides teachers, students and parents with access to PBS LearningMedia, an online library of free educational resources including videos, associated lesson plans, hosted training sessions and self-guided how-to resources for teachers, that accompany PBS’s trusted programs and align with current classroom standards.

    Maine Public is also providing daily, five-hour At-Home Learning for students in grades 6-12. Utilizing on-air broadcast, Maine Public has adjusted its WORLD Channel (.3 subchannel) schedule to deliver a lineup of science, history and English language arts programming from Noon – 5 p.m. each weekday.

Maryland

  • On April 6, the At-Home Learning initiative was launched by public television stations in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia, offering special schedule of public TV programs and online resources. The region’s three public television stations – Maryland Public Television (MPT), WETA and Howard University Television (WHUT) – are partnering to support families and students during COVID-19 emergency.

    The primary feature of the collaboration is a coordinated schedule of educational programs selected by the stations and available weekdays to viewers free over the air, through cable and satellite providers and, in the case of MPT, on a livestream at mpt.org/livestream.

    In conjunction with their broadcast offerings, the stations are making available digital “At-Home Learning” tools. These online resources – designed for parents, caregivers, teachers and children – are available at whut.org/home/athomelearning, weta.org/athomelearning, and mpt.org/education.

    MPT is also utilizing their Thinkport website and PBS LearningMedia as sources for digital learning resources and tools for students, parents and teachers to support remote learning. In addition, MPT is curating collections of digital learning objects in subject areas and grade bands to fit Maryland’s curriculum needs.

    Additionally, MPT launched a new member bulletin on March 23, Viewer Resources Alert, created to help the statewide network’s viewers weather the coronavirus crisis. The e-newsletter, sent to a distribution list of some 90,000 people, is published regularly to offer citizens updated coronavirus news and information, connection to educational resources, and public TV entertainment options to provide a needed respite from this serious emergency. Content includes links to recent MPT and PBS coronavirus-specific programs, promotion of upcoming programs and digital content viewers will want to watch, educational content for kids and families, teaching resources for educators, and links to information from trusted local, national and international authorities.

    To further support remote learning, MPT is also working with many learning partner organizations and Maryland State Department of Education to share PBS KIDS resources and the new PBS KIDS Daily Newsletter.

Massachusetts

  • WGBH in Boston and WGBY in Springfield are collaborating with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to provide distance learning over broadcast and digital platforms to preK-12th grade students throughout the state. Recognizing that not everyone has access to the internet or cable, WGBH will be broadcasting educational content for middle and high school students on television, free over the air. 

    WGBH has also established a new WGBH Distance Learning Center to make PBS LearningMedia resources more accessible to families, as well as educators, to support students PreK-12. The portal offers curated resources by grade and subject for use by students in remote learning situations, allowing them to self-pace and self-monitor their learning. Educators are also able to assign certain lessons and resources through Google Classroom and the PBS LearningMedia assignment features.

    Additionally, WGBH introduced AHA! Island – a new early education resource to engage families in practicing computational thinking. This preschool resource was developed under a multi-year NSF grant by WGBH working with Maryland Public Television, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, and their state systems to pilot different outreach models for dissemination. The AHA! Island site also includes Pre-K resources to share with parents.

Michigan

  • On Monday, November 2, public television stations in Michigan launched The Michigan Learning Channel, a statewide project connecting all Michigan students with high-quality distance learning content via a 24-7 broadcast television channel, streaming service, and a robust website with on-demand video and supplemental materials. At launch, the channel is offering instructional programming for children in grades PreK-3, adding grade levels and subjects over time. The channel is operated by Detroit Public Television and is a partnership of all six Michigan PBS stations. The channel’s content will be developed in conjunction with Michigan’s educational community, and each station will work closely with local schools to engage teachers, principals, and families in using PBS’s educational content.
     
  • Detroit Public TV has adjusted its entire daytime programming schedule to offer blocks of educational programming geared to specific age groups on its main broadcast channel (56.1), as part of a collaboration with Michigan’s public television stations and the national PBS system. While Michigan schools are closed this school year, weekday programming will be as follows: current PBS KIDS programming (Ages 2-8 years old) – 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., grades 4th-8th – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., grades s 9th-12th – 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. These educational, state and national standards aligned programs are available to all students regardless of internet access.

    Detroit Public TV also relaunched education workshops on Zoom including Pre-School-U and EdCamp, which include about 50 Head Start teachers in Detroit.
     
  • Q-TV (Delta Broadcasting in Flint, MI) serves students in the Great Lakes Bay Region, Flint and the Thumb with educational programs, regardless of access to digital and online services. Q-TV World offers programs weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon that enhance education for students in grades 4-8. At noon, Q-TV daily offers World Channel At-Home Learning for grades 6-12.  Further, Q-TV offers educational programming for preschool and elementary students every morning and weekday afternoons on broadcast and online via Q-TV Kids Video Player.
     
  • WCMU Public Media, a part of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, has changed their broadcast schedule to air six hours of educational programming for grades 4-12 every weekday. This content is available to kids and families regardless of whether they have access to the internet.

  • WKAR, a part of Michigan State University Broadcasting Services in East Lansing, Michigan, is partnering with PBS, the WORLD Channel, and the Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters to bring Michigan viewers expanded At-Home Learning programming. These daily free-over-the-air broadcasts will feature the best in public media science, history and other educational programming.

    The new WKAR WORLD At-Home Learning block -- suited to WORLD’s everyday schedule of news, information and documentary programming -- has been carefully curated and supplemented with related assets from WKAR PBS LearningMedia, a free online service of thousands of compelling educational resources.

    In addition to these expanded education broadcasts, WKAR has created new resources under the station's WKAR Family initiative, including a weekday newsletter. The WKAR Family and PBS KIDS newsletter is emailed to subscribers each weekday with ideas and resources to keep kids playing and learning at home while school is closed. Coming soon is a weekly edition of the newsletter for educators.

    WKAR also launched Mrs. Pizzo’s Workshop, where parents can contact Robin M. Pizzo, M.Ed., the Director of Education at WKAR Public Media and ask education-related questions.

Minnesota

  • WDSE in Duluth has compiled resources to help teachers, students and parents with remote learning and talking to kids about the COVID-19 crisis. These resources include educational kids programming available for free over-the-air, access to PBS LearningMedia a collection of digital learning objects organized by grade, subject matter, and training for teachers on distance learning tools.
     
  • Twin Cities PBS has compiled resources to help teachers, students and parents with remote learning and talking to kids about the COVID-19 crisis. These resources include educational kids programming available for free over-the-air, access to PBS LearningMedia a collection of digital learning objects organized by grade, subject matter, and training for teachers on distance learning tools.
     
  • Pioneer PBS offers resources to help teachers, students and parents with remote learning and talking to kids about the COVID-19 crisis. These resources include educational kids programming available for free over-the-air, access to PBS LearningMedia a collection of digital learning objects organized by grade, subject matter, and training for teachers on distance learning tools.

Mississippi

  • Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) created a new MPB At-Home Learning webpage to help parents and educators with the challenge they are facing with schools closed due to coronavirus. MPB is sharing resources to help keep kids learning at home. MPB’s main channel will now air educational content for PreK-12 students from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. MPB is also highlighting tips for how parents can help their kids learn and adjust to this new situation, and many resources for teachers to help them use the PBS LearningMedia digital learning objects.

Missouri

  • Nine Network in St. Louis has created the Nine PBS Educator and Caregiver Toolkit to provide free learning opportunities for educators, parents, and students. This toolkit was created with guidance from education leaders from across the region and includes broadcast, online, and mobile resources, as well as learning tools and tips that can be text messaged to phones.

    The toolkit includes a broadcast and streaming schedule of kids’ programs available by targeted ages, learning goals, air times and links to PBS KIDS apps. PBS educational programming and resources have been shown by multiple evaluations to be effective tools for teachers and parents. Content is curriculum-based and aligned to respective state standards, and classroom-tested by teachers. Content includes building social and emotional learning, literacy, STEM, social studies and art skills for children across the St. Louis region.

    Nine Network will also be creating messages to air daily across their four channels to engage and inform educators, parents, and students and they will continue to work with educators to add resources and meet their needs.

    Additionally, Nine Network created an informational page on how to talk to kids about Coronavirus. THoughout the summer, Nine Network offered a block of time on their main channel from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. where teachers provided instruction, focusing on K-4 math and literacy. In addition, every PBS KIDS program on Nine’s main channel and on its PBS Kids channel were preceded by a message outlining the learning goals and curricular area.
     
  • Ozarks Public Television, Springfield (MO), is offering OPT World, a five-hour at-home learning programming schedule for middle and high school students on the WORLD channel.

Montana

  • MontanaPBS is broadcasting K-8 educational programming, Monday through Friday, during regular school hours. This includes: Social Studies from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. MST, STEM from noon to 2 p.m. MST, Montana History from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. MST. This educational broadcast programming is accessible to children, regardless of whether they have access to the internet.

    MontanaPBS is also providing links to virtual and professional development assets for educators, as well as a links to educational resources for all grade levels.

Nebraska

  • Nebraska Education Television (NET) has launched an At-Home Learning service providing free, over-the-air broadcast of five hours of educational programming for students in grades 6-12 via NET’s World Channel. From noon-5 p.m. CT weekdays, NET World will offer the At-Home Learning lineup of science, history and English language arts programming with related learning assets from PBS LearningMedia, a free website with thousands of classroom-ready resources for pre-K-12 educators and students at net.pbslearningmedia.org. Programs include “NOVA,” “American Experience” and more.

    The resources from PBS LearningMedia, which were developed based on feedback from educators, are aligned to curriculum standards in every state and contextualized for educational use. These resources include grab-and-go activities, lesson plans, interactive lessons and media that illustrate specific topics or themes and support materials across subjects.

    NET has also created a Learn At Home webpage to provide students of all-ages, parents and teachers with useful resources to support their remote learning. These resources are conveniently grouped by the age of the student and include, videos, teacher resources, virtual field trips, and the Nebraska Studies collection that puts the history of the state at students’ fingertips.

Nevada

  • PBS Reno has launched Camp Curiosity offering a curated collection of free lessons, videos and activities to engage kids while they’re not in school. Camp Curiosity includes a landing page and a dedicated phone line for parents to call for assistance. The school district and the state school superintendent are including Camp Curiosity in lists of resources and communications with parents and school districts.
     
  • With the closure of all K-12 schools in Nevada through April 6, Vegas PBS has been making educational resources available to the public online. From its library of 300,000 digital lessons designed for teachers, Vegas PBS has selected a few hundred interactive lessons which will be more usable by parents at home. These at-home learning tools for elementary, middle and high school students are available statewide at classroomcast.org. Additional resources for educators and families can be found at vegaspbs.org/learn.

    As over 30 percent of children in Nevada have no home internet connectivity, worksheets drawn from resources provided by Vegas PBS’s Classroom Cast are being printed and distributed at 40+ drive-through meal stations in the State’s school districts. Meal stations operate five days a week and can serve approximately 35,000 cars a day. 

    Additional online tools are available through vegas.pbslearningmedia.org, pbskids.org, and pbs.org/parents. These sites feature hands-on activities and tips to help kids play and learn at home, games, and apps featuring children’s favorite PBS KIDS characters, as well as timely advice on discussing the coronavirus with them.

New Hampshire

  • New Hampshire PBS is now broadcasting five hours of daily educational programming for grades 6-12. This state and national standards aligned curriculum ensures that all students have access to education resources, regardless of internet access.

    New Hampshire PBS is also providing parents, caregivers, teachers, and students access to a wide variety of learning and teaching resources – updated daily – during the current period of school closures. These include age-appropriate, subject based videos for pre-K – 12th grade, readings, activities and lesson plans. Daily remote learning resources are available at www.nhpbs.org/learnathome.

New Jersey

  • New Jersey Public Media (NJTV), New Jersey’s public television network, provides educational resources that can help students, parents and teachers navigate this challenging time while schools are closed. These resources include educational kids programming available for free over-the-air, access to www.PBSLearningMedia.org, a collection of digital learning objects organized by grade, subject matter, and training for teachers on distance learning tools.

    NJTV, in partnership with the NJEA and the New Jersey Department of Education, launched a new series of on-air instruction called NJTV Learning Live. Weekdays starting Monday, April 6, kids can tune in to NJTV for on-air classes, taught by some of New Jersey’s finest public school teachers. On-air classes will be taught daily for grades three through six from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on NJTV. NJTV’s on-air classroom lessons will be live-streamed and archived on the network’s website, NJTVonline.org.

New Mexico

  • New Mexico PBS (NMPBS) and Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) are partnering on a new broadcast initiative to support at-home learning for K-5 students and their families, by broadcasting a new weekday morning schedule of televised APS classes. On April 6, APS @HOME began broadcasting from 8 a.m. - Noon weekdays on Channel 5.1, and posting educational programs on the APS YouTube channel.

    APS @HOME is also simulcasting on the state’s other PBS stations, KENW in Portales and KRWG in Las Cruces, benefiting children statewide. APS @HOME gives kids in grades K-5 the chance to resume lessons in key topics, as determined by the school district.

    The daily lesson plans are broadcast each day, and are available later for individual “on-demand lessons.” These supplemental learning videos feature Albuquerque Public Schools educators in short segments, supporting a variety of subjects and grade levels, including English language arts, math, visual and performing arts, physical education, and more.

    For more information about the programming schedule and APS @HOME visit https://www.newmexicopbs.org/what-we-do/education/aps-at-home/.

New York

  • Buffalo Toronto Public Media will begin broadcasting a “Learn at Home” schedule to assist families, educators and students. The new schedule will air from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on WNED PBS KIDS. Blocks of time will be dedicated to different age groups. Early mornings are programmed for young learners (preK through grade 3); mid-mornings are for students in grades 4 through 8, and afternoons are for high school students (grades 9 through 12). The first week showcases educational programming produced by PBS and public broadcasting stations nationwide, and subsequent weeks will include programming made by public broadcasting stations in New York state, including WNED PBS.

    In addition, Buffalo Toronto Public Media has compiled educational programming, on-demand education video, online resources, and lesson plans on its website.

  • Mountain Lake PBS in in Plattsburgh has changed their broadcast schedule to air eight hours of educational programming for grades PreK-12 every day. This content is available to kids and families regardless of whether they have access to the internet. Mountain PBS is also providing a variety of other education resources and digital learning objects on their website and through www.pbslearningmedia.org.
     
  • WCNY in Syracuse has partnered with the Syracuse City School District to produce the TV Classroom network which airs every weekday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and provides classroom lessons for all grade levels on TV. The programming includes the subjects of English Language Arts, math, science, health and physical education, history, and social studies. With schools closed and many children without internet access, WCNY is committed to providing educational opportunities to audiences of all ages. WCNY’S “TV Classroom” will allow children, regardless of internet access, to continue to connect with real teachers and have the continuity of a classroom experience at home in Syracuse and across the 19 counties in Central New York. WCNY Is also providing other resources for students and parents on their website.
     
  • WNET is offering expanded K-12 At Home Learning resources for the New York metro area by airing a daily, five-hour At Home Learning block for students in grades 6-12 on two channels, WLIW21 and WLIW WORLD. These resources will help serve families who are homebound during the COVID-19 pandemic. These daily, free over-the-air broadcasts focus on all major school subjects, drawing from WNET’s vast archive of PBS and locally produced content. Programs offered have accompanying resources for educators and families available on www.wnet.org/education, including related learning assets from PBS LearningMedia, a free online service of thousands of educational resources.

    The 10 stations WNET manages for the Sesame Street in Communities Rural Station Initiative has trained 1,223 early childhood educators and childcare providers in rural areas on Sesame Street in Communities; provided 11,768 rural community members with their own Sesame Street Hometown Celebration; and directly reached an estimated 32,012 parents, caregivers and children—over 5 times the initiative goal of reaching 5,000 rural families – providing critical resources for early learners and their families during the pandemic.

    For the back to school season, the WNET education team is dedicated to supporting the unique circumstances educators and family members are facing. In response to remote learning needs, the station created new daily broadcast education programs like Let’s Learn NYC! and NJTV Learning Live. The station's digital resources are also continually update with culturally responsive content, such as the Anti-Racist Resources on their Education blog, and the robust learning platform, PBS LearningMedia. 
     
  • WPBS-TV in Watertown, N.Y., which serves rural Northern New York, created a new at-home learning afternoon block on its PBS Kids 24/7 subchannel. After consulting with local school districts and BOCES and surveying individual teachers, station staff selected programming for the block to reflect areas of highest priority in NYS elementary, middle and high school curricula. Graphics were created to let parents and students know which subject areas and grade levels each program aligned with. A landing page with student resources was added to the WPBS website and a comprehensive list of PBS LearningMedia resources was created and circulated to teachers and school districts.Teachers were also given the option to sign up for individualized resources collected by the WPBS education services to support their individual needs.
     
  • WXXI in Rochester, broadcasts a “Learn At Home” schedule in support of families, educators, and students. WXXI Kids 24/7 channel will remain the same with PBS KIDS favorites for our youngest viewers. WXXI is also providing resources including videos and activities for educators and families, as well as a link to PBS LearningMedia’s free online service on WXXI.org/education and on WXXI Kids, WXXI Education and WXXI Rochester social media channels.

    In addition, WXXI created one-sheets promoting PBS LearningMedia Virtual Field Trips for Elementary Classrooms, and a monthly, PBS KIDS activity calendar. The station also launched a new YouTube series that gives kids a sneak peek into STEAM careers. Geared towards students ages 7 to 11, “I Can Be What!” provides a portal to career exploration. The series Educational Resources website – WXXI.org/icanbewhat – provides online content and resources to help parents and educators advance their students’ career exploration process.

North Carolina

  • PBS Charlotte has prepared an At Home Learning tool kit that includes broadcast programming and accompanying digital resources from www.pbslearningmedia.org, that adhere to state and national standards to provide continued at-home learning while schools are closed. PBS Charlotte is airing educational programming, free, over-the-air, for kids from PreK-12 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day.  

    PBS Charlotte has also compiled a variety of resources from tips and training for teachers adjusting to remote teaching to videos and other resources to help parents talk to their kids about COVID-19, develop a learning schedule at home and much more.

    Additionally, PBS Charlotte is adapting its seven-week high school career pathways and leadership “3D Project Dreamers-Doers-Destiny” into a virtual American Graduate video series, as well as having weekly Virtual Story Times for children through Facebook Watch Parties.
     
  • UNC-TV is providing resources to help teachers, parents and students navigate the new challenge of remote learning. These resources include educational programming over the air and online, PBS LearningMedia digital learning resources for students and teachers and professional development resources for teachers. In addition UNC-TV is providing resources to help parents talk to their kids about COVID-19 and how to stay safe.

North Dakota

  • Prairie Public is responding to the need for educational resources for students as schools close due to COVID-19. The station offers programming for younger children on their main Prairie Public PBS channel in addition to PBS KIDS, and Prairie Public’s WORLD Channel is broadcasting At Home Learning programs for grades 6-12 Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. These daily, free over-the-air television broadcasts are supplemented with learning materials from PBS LearningMedia, a free online service of thousands of educational resources at www.pbslearningmedia.org. Additional resources for parents, children, and educators is available at www.prairiepublic.org/education/covidresources.

Ohio

  • All eight Ohio public television stations have come together to broadcast expanded educational programming for kids preK-12th grade as part of a “#LearnAtHome,” initiative to provide kids, 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 participating stations are: PBS Western Reserve – Kent, Think TV – Dayton, WBGU PBS – Bowling Green, CET Public Media – Cincinnati, WGTE – Toledo, WOSU Public Media – Columbus, WOUB Public Media – Athens, and WVIZ – ideastream – Cleveland

Oklahoma

  • OETA worked with the State Department of Education to develop resources to support educators, parents and students. OETA has adjusted its daytime schedule to provide curriculum-based programming for students over the air on its broadcast channel, OETA WORLD. Each episode or series directly correlates to lessons and resources made available through PBS LearningMedia which have been designed to meet federal and state standards for grades PreK through 12.
     
  • Rogers State University TV (Tulsa, OK) is providing educational resources for continued learning during the coronavirus outbreak. The station is broadcasting and streaming live classes from local school districts Mon-Thu at 9am through noon. On Friday mornings, the station is partnering with Tulsa City County Library for Build-A-Reader story time from 9 to 11 a.m.

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. 

Pennsylvania

  • On September 10, 2020, Governor Tom Wolf announced that the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds is awarding $8 million in federal funding to Pennsylvania PBS to establish a statewide datacasting initiative. A total of $15 million will be made available for schools to secure broadband, mobile hot spots and other platforms that increase equitable access to remote learning in Pennsylvania.

    Pennsylvania PBS will be partnering with the Pennsylvania Department of Education on this statewide datacasting initiative to bring instructional materials to students without internet access. Pennsylvania PBS includes all seven public television stations in Pennsylvania - PBS39/WLVT (Allentown), WHYY (Philadelphia), WITF (Harrisburg), WPSU (Penn State College), WQED (Pittsburgh), WQLN (Erie) and WVIA (Scranton).

    Read the full press release from the Governor’s office to learn more about this exciting development in datacasting.

  • All seven public television stations in Pennsylvania - PBS39/WLVT (Allentown), WHYY (Philadelphia), WITF (Harrisburg), WPSU (Penn State College), WQED (Pittsburgh), WQLN (Erie) and WVIA (Scranton) - are working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and have created Learning at Home, a connection to thousands of hours of educational and entertaining videos, activities and games to support students, families and teachers. From Sesame Street for preschoolers to NOVA for high school science students, public television offers engaging programs that will support child’s learning.

    Learning at Home is available for PreK-12 graders every weekday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Find out more by viewing the television schedule and information for teachers.
     
  • PBS39 has worked with educators locally and nationally to create Lehigh Valley Learns – an over the air educational offering, launching Monday, March 30. Lehigh Valley Learns will broadcast over PBS39’s channels in the mornings, with grade specific programming at the same time each weekday. Recognizing that a portion of the community does not have access to the internet, the sole medium that can reach nearly 100 percent of students is broadcast television. By airing Lehigh Valley Learns on PBS39, anyone with a TV can watch over-the-air.
     
  • WHYY, in Philadelphia, announced that it is extending pre-K-2 children’s programming on its main channel from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is offering an extended suite of educational resources.
     
  • WQED, in Pittsburgh, is promoting online learning resources for use during school closures as well as virtual field trips on the WQED Education webpage.

    WQED is also partnering with RobotWits to provide a new educational video series, The Robot Doctor, which will offer robotics and mathematics lessons to high school age students during the COVID-19 crisis. The series will be available on WQED’s website, on WQED-TV on Wednesday nights, and through Pennsylvania’s other public television stations.

Rhode Island

  • Rhode Island PBS has compiled a list of free distance learning resources for educators, families and students to help them navigate this transition to learning from home. These resources include PBS LearningMedia which provides thousands of digital objects to help students learn, tools to help parents talk to their kids about COVID-19 and teacher training and professional development offerings to support educators during this transition.

South Carolina

  • On Wednesday, September 9, 2020, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced a $1.3 million investment to expand datacasting at South Carolina ETV (SCETV) to help reach students in rural and remote areas across the state. 

    Datacasting is the process of delivering computer (IP) data over a traditional broadcast television signal. Datacasting content can be targeted to specific recipients, ensuring that students receive the content for their grade.

    The Republican Governor, along with State Superintendent Molly Spearman, leaders of the state legislature, and leaders of SCETV, South Carolina’s education and public broadcasting channel, made the announcement in a press conference at SCETV’s station headquarters.

    In his remarks, Governor McMaster began by saying that SCETV is “the finest educational television system in the United States. And we want to build it, we want to grow, because its capacity is enormous, and it certainly fits our needs.” 

    Governor McMaster highlighted SCETV’s ability to provide educational resources, stating that “while datacasting has traditionally been used to support public safety, the opportunity and technology now exists to deliver lessons, assignments and educational content to students with limited or no internet access, and about 20 percent of our state does not have good internet access.”

    SCETV reaches about 98 percent of the state with the television signal, making it possible to deliver educational content to students in any part of the state.

    Watch the full press conference for more about this exciting new initiative.

  • SCETV is also broadcasting curriculum-based programming for the state’s pre-K through 12th grade students. SCETV has modified its broadcast schedule three days a week to offer specific pre-K – 12 resources between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

    In addition, SCETV is providing virtual professional development opportunities for educators, giving them an opportunity to learn more about the free educational resources and broadcast programming available.

South Dakota

  • South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) is broadcasting At Home Learning programs for grades 6-12, Monday – Friday at 11am-4pm (10am-3pm MT) on SDPB2-TV. In recognition that not all students have access to broadband internet, these daily free-over-the-air broadcasts will feature the best in public media science, history and other educational programming.

    This At-Home Learning block has been carefully curated and supplemented to include related assets from the well-respected PBS LearningMedia website, a free online service of thousands of compelling educational resources. https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/

    SDPB is also providing online learning opportunities through the SDPB Learners Connection that features free and readily accessible resources for at home learning for families with children from Pre-K through High School. The site brings together the powerful content of PBS LearningMedia, with resources from across the country as well as access to local South Dakota learning content, complete with teacher and parent resources, and regular E-newsletters to keep parents and teachers up to date with content-related information.

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 right in their own homes.

    Starting April 6, Tennessee’s six PBS stations — WNPT Nashville, East Tennessee PBS, WCTE Upper Cumberland, WKNO Memphis, West TN PBS, and Chattanooga WTCI — are delivering 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 was 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 if their home has internet connectivity or capable devices.
     
  • WCTE is providing curated PBS and PBS KIDS content starting at 6 a.m. until 10 a.m. and then again at Noon until 4 p.m. daily Monday through Friday. The designated blocks of time have been broken down into Pre-K through 12th grade focuses. All programming has corresponding digital materials for extended learning that lives on the WCTE website.

Texas

  • Austin (TX) PBS Learning at Home Resources includes an educational content schedule, conversation guide, links to Austin PBS LearningMedia, Bright By Text, Austin PBS doodle book and more.
     
  • Basin PBS (Midland/Odessa, TX) launched a weekday at-home learning daytime TV schedule with supplemental digital learning content for each grade level.
     
  • Houston Public Media has revamped its schedules to provide programming that supports students from pre-kindergarten through high school. This schedule was changed to meet the educational needs of students, with additional educational resources available online.
     
  • KAMU (College Station, TX) is providing access to educational instruction through its primary TV channel. Specifically, the station is offering students in Pre-K through 12th grade access to free, educational PBS daytime programming and accompanying digital resources that adhere to an approved at-home learning curriculum.
     
  • KERA in Dallas has curated a variety of tools and materials for parents and caregivers with school-aged children at home, as well as for educators who are teaching children remotely. These include: Distance Teaching: Learning at home, Family Care: Learning good habits, Child’s Play: Learning and growing, In the News: Learning about the virus.
     
  • KLRN Learning at Home (San Antonio, TX) includes a daily schedule of broadcast programs with digital resources such as family resources, parent and educator newsletters, discussion questions and activities.
     
  • PBS El Paso is ensuring that learning continues during school closures by broadcasting educational content from 5 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. each weekday. The station has also partnered with Bright by Text to provide bilingual research-based tips and links to trusted resources that help parents and caregivers with messages that focus on ways to talk to their children about COVID-19, as well as at-home activities, tips on how to manage stress during an outbreak, and other local resources and information for parents and caregivers. It is compiling a list of safe, trusted and FREE resources for families to use during this time.

Utah

  • UEN - Utah Education Network - launched a website called Learn@Home. The site consolidates timely resources for PreK-Grade -12 teachers, students, and parents/caregivers. While many of the resources are for students with home Internet access, there is also a link to the UEN-TV schedule with educational programming that is available statewide and programs for early learners from PBS Utah, including the 24/7 PBS KIDS channel.

    UEN also has announced a partnership with Nearpod, an instructional platform that merges formative assessment and dynamic media for collaborative learning experiences. Teachers throughout Utah’s 41 school districts will be able to use Nearpod to provide 658,000 K-12 students with livestreaming and self-paced lessons, that can be accessed on any web-enabled device.

Vermont

  • Vermont PBS has partnered with the Vermont Agency of Education to provide for continuity of learning for Vermont students and school communities during the COVID-19 outbreak, allowing Vermont teachers and students access to free educational resources via television broadcast throughout the duration of school closures.This includes content for Pre-K to Grade 3, Grades 3-8 and Grades 6-12.

Virginia

  • Four Virginia public media stations, Blue Ridge PBS, VPM, WETA and WHRO Public Media, worked closely with the Virginia Department of Education to create “VA TV Classroom,” broadcast teacher-led classroom instruction aligned with the commonwealth’s academic standards beginning statewide on Monday, April 13. The second season of VA TV Classroom began Monday, September 14 and will run through Friday, October 23.

    The “VA TV Classroom” broadcast resources from 11 a.m. -1 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, to provide instruction to students in grades K-10 who are unable to access other distance learning options due to a lack of high-speed internet.
     
  • Virginia Public Media, serving Richmond and Roanoke, has converted their VPM Plus channel into Learning Plus, broadcasting programs for learners of all ages. The educational programs available via free over-the-air broadcast include PBS KIDS shows followed by science, social studies, arts and more in grade-level appropriate blocks for students through high school.

    VPM has also created a resource webpage for parents and teachers to help facilitate learning from home.

    Additionally, VPM worked with the First Lady of Virginia, a former early childhood educator, to speak directly to children and parents with the help of the Fred Rogers Center. Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat visited the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond to help VPM create short interstitials about the importance of handwashing, staying active and sharing their feelings with an adult. This content will be shared with all Virginia PBS stations.

  • On April 6, the At-Home Learning initiative was launched by public television stations in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia, offering special schedule of public TV programs and online resources. The region’s three public television stations – Maryland Public Television (MPT), WETA and Howard University Television (WHUT) – are partnering to support families and students during COVID-19 emergency.

    The primary feature of the collaboration is a coordinated schedule of educational programs selected by the stations and available weekdays to viewers free over the air, through cable and satellite providers and, in the case of MPT, on a livestream at mpt.org/livestream.

    In conjunction with their broadcast offerings, the stations are making available digital “At-Home Learning” tools. These online resources – designed for parents, caregivers, teachers and children – are available at whut.org/home/athomelearning, weta.org/athomelearning, and mpt.org/education.
     
  • WETA’s (Arlington, VA) Reading Rockets looks at how young children learn to read, why so many struggle, and what can be done to help. The station’s website includes a special feature on learning at home when schools are closed. Start with a Book offers free resources for parents and educators to help children build literacy skills and prevent learning loss.
     
  • WHRO in Norfolk has established a free Digital Learning Courses website with links to all of the station’s high school online courses for the 21 school divisions that own WHRO. The links can be used with or without an available learning management system.

    WHRO is also offering webinars to parents and teachers to help them with successful distance learning via eMediaVA.

Washington

  • KBTC in Tacoma is providing many school and community resources to support students and families in their neighborhoods including, educational kids programming over-the-air, online and on mobile apps. In addition educational games are available, and resources for teachers, parents and students through PBS LearningMedia. 
     
  • KCTS 9 in Seattle is airing a daily, five-hour At-Home Learning Service for students in grades 6-12. The programming lineup includes science, history and English language arts and is available free over the air on, these educational programs can reach all families, including those who do not have internet access or computers at home.
     
  • KSPS in Spokane is airing a daily, five-hour At-Home Learning Service for students in grades 6-12. The programming lineup includes science, history and English language arts with related learning assets from PBS LearningMedia, a free online service of thousands of educational resources. Available free over the air on KSPS Channel 7.2, these educational programs can reach all families, including those who do not have internet access or computers at home.

    The PBS LearningMedia resources were developed based on feedback from educators, are aligned to curriculum standards in every state and contextualized for educational use. These resources include grab-and-go activities, lesson plans, interactive lessons, and media that illustrate specific topics or themes and support materials across subjects.

Washington, D.C.

  • On April 6, the At-Home Learning initiative was launched by public television stations in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia, offering special schedule of public TV programs and online resources. The region’s three public television stations – Maryland Public Television (MPT), WETA and Howard University Television (WHUT) – are partnering to support families and students during COVID-19 emergency.

    The primary feature of the collaboration is a coordinated schedule of educational programs selected by the stations and available weekdays to viewers free over the air, through cable and satellite providers and, in the case of MPT, on a livestream at mpt.org/livestream.

    In conjunction with their broadcast offerings, the stations are making available digital “At-Home Learning” tools. These online resources – designed for parents, caregivers, teachers and children – are available at whut.org/home/athomelearning, weta.org/athomelearning, and mpt.org/education.

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.

Wisconsin

  • Milwaukee PBS began broadcast programming in support of at-home learning on 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/.

Wyoming

  • Wyoming PBS provides students, parents and teachers with a range of resources to help support remote learning. These include kids educational programming, over the air, online and on mobile apps, educational games, tips for parents, PBS LearningMedia’s  thousands of curriculum aligned digital learning resources and teaching tools for Pre-K-12th grade, and online professional development for educators.