WGBH Annual Report 2000-2001 Text Version: Kids and families stay curious

Text Version

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Kids and families stay curious

Children are naturally curious and WGBH aims to keep them that way, with programs and Web sites that are as educational as they are entertaining. Whether it's Between the Lions, Arthur, or Zoom, families across America turn to WGBH for innovative, smart, and fun-flled productions that help children grow into successful learners.

How do you turn kids on to learning?

Can TV and the Web help children learn to read?
"An independent study recently found that children watching Between the Lions showed marked improvement in their reading skills. Why? Because on television, unlike the classroom, animated vowels can dance on the screen, letters can race together to form words, and rock groups can rhapsodize over word families. It's one reason kindergarten and first-grade teachers are among our biggest fans. Our hugely successful Web site has stories and games emphasizing the same reading skills. It helps kids, as we say on Lions, 'Get Wild about Reading!'"
-Judy Stoia, Executive Producer, Between the Lions

How do you spark an interest in classical music?
"Music appreciation starts at home, and it often begins with what children hear on the radio. WGBH offers more than 50 hours of classical music every week on 89.7fm and at www.wgbh.org. Our presentation of the weekly series From the Top showcases young performers making great music; families get to hear how classical music can be a wonderful part of a kid's life, too. It offers listeners nationwide a picture of young people you don't often see, or hear, in the media."
-Jon Solins, Music Projects Director, with Jerry Slavet, From the Top Executive Producer

How can we ensure that children enter school ready to learn?
"TV is one of the most influential teachers young children have, second only to parents. WGBH's children's shows encourage kids to explore, to be active, and most important, to read. WGBH's Ready to Learn initiative picks up where our TV programs leave off. This year, we provided 7,000 Massachusetts families and day care providers with training and materials, including free books, to help children acquire the critical pre-literacy skills necessary to enter kindergarten prepared to learn."
-Karen Barss, Director, Ready to Learn Project

When is a cartoon show more than just entertainment?
"When we first conceived of Arthur, now the most popular children's series on American television, there were no cartoons on PBS! We proposed a very different kind of animated series: one based on Marc Brown's popular books and imbued with messages that promote literacy and positive role models. Arthur faces the tribulations of a typical eight-year-old: dealing with a bully or an annoying sibling, feeling different because he wears glasses. This year, we're distributing materials to thousands of parents to help them use these programs as a catalyst for deeper conversations with their children."
-Carol Greenwald, Executive Producer, Arthur

Who values WGBH?
"WGBH is the most reliable and abundant source of high-quality children's programs on television today. Our son James has grown up watching public television, graduating from Sesame Street to Arthur and Zoom. When James visited the Zoom Web site, it immediately engaged him. That's been his experience watching Zoom on TV as well. He loves the science experiments, the recipes, the jokes. Zoom does a great job making educational activities entertaining. That's true of all of WGBH's children's shows. WGBH has been and continues to be a pioneer in figuring out new ways to use media to reach kids."
-Vivian and Charles Beard with son James, Lexington, MA

"Zoom is more than just an entertaining television series and Web site. Behind all the fun is a curriculum developed by leading educators and advisors focusing on science, math, and language arts. Zoom teaches young viewers to take an active approach to learning-to ask questions, to experiment, to be open to new possibilities. Millions of kids have interacted with Zoom by surfing the Web site, attending events, and sharing their games, jokes, recipes, experiments, and poems with the TV series and online community."
-Kate Taylor, Executive Producer, Zoom

Home | Message from the President and Chair | Awards | Fiscal Year 00
Kids and Families | Arts and Culture | Our World | Important Issues | Learning