ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS
ABOUT THIS PBS KIDS 24/7 CHANNEL
ANYWHERE ANY TIME IS THE
UNDERCURRENT OF EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMMING AND HOW IMPORTANT
THAT IS TO CHILDREN'S
DEVELOPMENT.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT A SHORT
PIECE TO SHOWS US JUST HOW
IMPORTANT THAT DEVELOPMENT
IS.
>>> EARLY EDUCATION REALLY DOES
ENSURE SCHOOL SUCCESS LATER ON
AND LIFE SUCCESS.
SO MANY CHILDREN ACTUALLY DO NOT
GET A CHANCE TO GET HIGH QUALITY
EARLY EDUCATION.
LOW INCOME FAMILIES START WITH
SO MANY RISKS AND BARRIERS.
>>> HIGH QUALITY EDUCATIONAL
MEDIA CAN A HAVE POSITIVE IMPACT
ON EARLY LEARNING ESPECIALLY IN
LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES.
>> THE MOST CRITICAL YEARS ARE
FROM BIRTH TO FIVE.
THAT'S WHEN MOST OF THE BRAIN
DEVELOPMENT TAKES PLACE.
>>EARLY OPPORTUNITIES IN
LANGUAGE ARTS AND READING AND
MATH PROVIDE THE FOUNDATIONAL
UNDERSTANDING FOR SUCCESS LATER
ON.
>> AND THIS IS WHERE PBS KIDS
CAN PLAY AND DOES PLAY A HUGE
ROLE.
>> PBS KIDS CONTENT WORKS.
OUR RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT KIDS
HAVE MADE POSITIVE AND
SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN THEIR
MATHEMATICS LEARNING AFTER USING
PBS KIDS CONTENT.
IT IS ACTUALLY REALLY AMAZING
THERE IS A LOT OF ACTIVE
LEARNING GOING ON WHEN THEY ARE
PROBLEM SOLVING TOGETHER.
WE FIND USING THE PBS KIDS
CONTENT HAS REALLY EMPOWERED
PARENTS AND MADE THEM FEEL MORE
CONFIDENT AND ABLE TO HELP
SUPPORT THEIR KIDS IN THEIR
LEARNING.
AS A WORKING SINGLE MOTHER, I
NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET.
PBS KIDS HELPS ME AS A PARENT
REINFORCE THE VALUES THAT ARE
IMPORTANT TO ME.
>> I THINK THAT PBS KIDS
CERTAINLY RECOGNIZES THAT THEY
ARE ONTO SOMETHING HERE, WHETHER
IT IS TV OR THE APP OR THE
GAMES, YOU HAVE THAT WHOLE
PALATE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR
CHILDREN.
>> SCHOOL READINESS IS IMPORTANT
FOR NOT ONLY THE CHILD, IT IS
IMPORTANT FOR THE FAMILY.
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE
COMMUNITY.
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE
NATION.
>>> EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
IS SO VERY IMPORTANT.
AND ONE OF THE WONDERFUL
RESOURCES WE HAVE RIGHT HERE IN
CENTRAL ILLINOIS IS THE HEART OF
ILLINOIS UNITED WAY'S SUCCESS BY
SIX PROGRAM.
ANDREA BOWERS IS A PROJECT
MANAGER FOR SUCCESS BY SIX HERE
IN PEORIA.
WELCOME AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU
FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
>> TELL US HOW THIS IMPACTS
CENTRAL ILLINOIS CHILDREN ON A
LOCAL LEVEL TO BE ABLE TO HAVE
THIS LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL AND
ENTERTAINMENT
PROGRAMMING 24/7.
>> I CAN'T EVEN PUT A WORD TO
IT.
IT IS JUST -- IT IS SO AMAZING
BECAUSE ESPECIALLY TODAY WITH
ALL OF THE NEGATIVE ATTENTION
THAT IS GOING ON IN THE MEDIA
AND WITH SOCIAL MEDIA IN
PARTICULAR, WE NEED SOMETHING
FOR -- SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR
CHILDREN THAT WE CAN GO TO, THAT
WE CAN FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT
TELLING OUR PARENTS, GO VISIT
PBS KIDS, AND WE KNOW THEY ARE
GETTING THAT FOUNDATION THAT
THEY NEED TO BE READY FOR
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH AND ALL
FACETS SO THEY GET IT THROUGH
BOOKS AND THROUGH MEDIA.
IT IS PRETTY EXCITING.
>> HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT
YOUNG CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO
THESE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
EARLY ON?
>> OH, IT IS SO IMPORTANT.
I THINK A LOT OF TIMES YOUNG
CHILDREN ARE KIND OF OVERLOOKED.
THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT--I LIKE
TO KIND OF THINK IT AS BUILDING
A HOME.
ONE OF MY PROFESSORS THOUGHT
ABOUT THIS IN COLLEGE AND
EXPLAIN IT AS IF WHEN YOU BUILD
A HOME, YOU DON'T SKIP MANY
SKIMP ON MATERIALS.
YOU DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
THAT'S KIND OF HOW IT IS WITH
EARLY CHILDHOOD.
IT WE DON'T INVEST NOW IN OUR
CHILDREN, THEN WE WILL TO INVEST
LATER. WE OWE IT TO THEM TO
GIVE THEM A QUALITY GOOD START.
>> SUCCESS BY SIX OFFERS A
VARIETY OF PROGRAMMING HERE IN
CENTRAL ILLINOIS.
TELL ME ABOUT SOME OF THOSE.
>> SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING
ESPECIALLY WE FUND ON NEED BASE.
ALL OF THE UNITED WAY
PROGRAMMING IS KIND OF DRIVEN BY
COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT THAT
IS CONDUCTED.
SO IT IS OUR JOB WITH UNITED WAY
TO TAKE THE RESULTS OF THAT
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND FUND
AGENCIES TO HELP FILL THOSE
GAPS.
ONE OF THOSE GAPS IS EDUCATION
UNFORTUNATELY.
WE HAVE A VERY LARGE GAP WITH
MATH AND LITERACY, AND THAT'S
WHERE THE SUCCESS BY SIX PROGRAM
COMES IN,
IN PARTICULAR, OUR PAGE TURNER
PROGRAM.
>> YES, TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> YEAH.
OUR PAGE TURNER PROGRAM, ALL
THESE LADIES BACK HERE ARE FROM
OUR PAGE TURNER PROGRAM.
WE SERVE APPROXIMATELY 3,000,
THREE TO FIVE YEAR OLDS WITH OUR
PAGE TURNER PROGRAM IN ABOUT A
FIVE COUNTY REGION. THEY
RECEIVE A BOOK A MONTH FOR TEN
MONTHS OUT OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
THOSE BOOKS ARE ALL WITH A MATH
FOCUS OR A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL
FOCUS.
WE ALSO CHOOSE THOSE BOOKS AS A
SUPPLEMENT FOR OUR TEACHERS TO
HELP THEM WITH THE CURRICULUM.
SO WITH UNITED WAY'S
PROGRAMMING, WE ARE ALSO OUTCOME
BASED. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
THESE PROGRAMS THAT ARE FUNDED
ARE PRODUCING THOSE OUTCOMES,
THAT WE ARE SEEING THOSE GAPS
CLOSE.
SO WE GO OFF THE ILLINOIS EARLY
LEARNING STANDARDS AND MAKE SURE
THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE MEETING
THOSE GOALS WITH THAT AS A BASE
SO ALL OF OUR BOOKS ARE CHOSEN
TO SUPPORT THAT.
THERE IS A LOT!
>> WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESULT OF
THIS SUCCESS BY SIX PROGRAM?
>>WE HAVE SEEN SUCH A JUMP IN
KIDS' INTEREST IN BOOKS AND
LITERACY,
THEIR ABILITY TO RECALL
INFORMATION, THEIR LANGUAGE,
EVEN THEIR PARENT'S LANGUAGE HAS
INCREASED.
WITH READING, IT IS NOT JUST
READING A BOOK.
WE TRY TO ENFORCE WITH OUR
PARENTS, WHEN YOU READ A BOOK,
YOU ARE CREATING AN EXPERIENCE.
YOU ARE HELPING THOSE CHILDREN
BUILD A KNOWLEDGE BASE, AND
EVERYTHING WE CAN EXPOSE
CHILDREN TO AT A YOUNG AGE, THEY
ARE MAKING A MEMORY, AND THEN AS
THAT MEMORY KIND OF TRAVELS WITH
THEM, WHEN THEY LEARN SOMETHING
IN SCHOOL, THEY HAVE THAT TO
BUILD UPON.
>> YOUR PASSION AND ENTHUSIASM
FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING IS
REALLY OBVIOUS.
I APPLAUD YOU FOR THAT.
WHERE DOES THAT DRIVE COME FROM
IN YOU?
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?
>> OH, IT MEANS SO MUCH TO
ME.
I WORKED WITH KIDS SINCE I WAS
13 BEFORE YOU CAN GET LIKE
TAXABLE INCOME OFF OF IT.
I WENT TO ICC AND WENT THROUGH
THEIR CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
AND TRANSFERRED.
BEFORE I CAME BACK HERE, I
WORKED IN EAST ST. LOUIS IN
THEIR HEADSTART PROGRAM.
I GOT TO GET A WHOLE DIFFERENT
EXPERIENCE WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD
AND LEARNED HOW MUCH A PARENT IS
A CHILD'S FIRST TEACHER.
SO IF WE ARE NOT TAKING CARE OF
THE PARENTS AS MUCH AS WE ARE
TAKING CARE OF THE CHILDREN AND
NOW THAT I AM A PARENT, I
REALIZE HOW VALUABLE HAVING THAT
SUPPORT IS AND THINGS LIKE FROM
PROGRAMS LIKE SUCCESS BY SIX AND
WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH PBS,
THOSE SUPPORTS ARE VITA FOR
PARENTING AND FOR THE SUCCESS OF
CHILDREN.
I AM JUST HAPPY TO BE A PART OF
IT.
>> WHAT A GREAT PARTNERSHIP. WE
HERE AT WTVP ARE REALLY HAPPY TO
BE PARTNERING WITH YOU AS A
COMMUNITY PARTNER HERE WITH
SUCCESS BY SIX AND HELPING OUR
KIDS STAY EDUCATED AND
ENTERTAINED AT THE SAME TIME.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> ANDREA BOWERS, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU.