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. Music appreciation starts at home, and it often begins with what children hear on the radio. It offers listeners nationwide a picture of young people you don't often see, or hear, in the media.
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. 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. Our son James has grown up watching public television, graduating from Sesame Street to Arthur and Zoom .