Ready to Learn
Early Childhood Education
About Ready to Learn
KEET TV's Ready to Learn service is an initiative designed to help our community's children 0-8 years old become media-wise, curious, explorers of knowledge, who will thus begin school "ready to learn." Channel 13 has long demonstrated a commitment to serving our local children; parents, teachers and child care providers by offering quality educational programs, workshops and fun family events.
In 1996, the station built on that strong foundation by introducing the Ready to Learn Service often called RTL for short. Today, that service of KEET TV includes a daily line-up of more than six hours of weekday children's programming specially designed to meet the needs of preschool and school-aged children. KEET TV also provides educational messages between programs that urge children to enjoy learning.
Ready to Learn includes a strong early literacy component with regular story time programs in libraries and family resource centers throughout the viewing area. KEET TV's Ready to Learn service also offers free workshops on a variety of topics for parents, childcare providers, and teachers featuring developmentally appropriate materials and practices along with free books that encourage "raising readers."
KEET TV's Ready To Learn Service had been previously financially supported by The California State Department of Education, Child Development Division, and local program underwriters Dr. William Weiderman, Center for Women's Health, or event sponsors. Additional funding in service to the well-being of north coast children and families is provided through an enhanced partnership with First 5 Humboldt.
Ready to Learn Future Fund
On October 11, 2010, KEET-TV was notified that Public Education Project funding for the station's early childhood education program, Ready to Learn service, had been cut by the California Department of Education - Child Development Division.
The program, based on the Learning Triangle curriculum of "View, Read and Do," focuses on building reading skills at home, at school and in child care, had received $30,000 in funding annually. This funding has sustained the RTL program since 2008 when the U.S. Department of Education zeroed out funding to PBS to coordinate a national Ready To Learn media literacy outreach program. The U.S. Dept. of Education does continue to fund PBS Kids television programming.
Since October 2010, KEET has created the Ready To Learn Future Fund to raise $35,000.00 annually to continue the program. We have applied for several outreach grants for RTL, held an on-air fundraiser, and have established a used car donation program, which netted RTL more than $3,000 since January of this year. Our annual QUACKS FOR KEET Duck Race will also support Ready To Learn this year. KEET TV is also seeking funding in the form of business underwriters of PBS Kids programming, sponsors and tax-deductible donations to continue the Ready To Learn program.
For more information about KEET TV's Ready To Learn service, contact Ron Schoenherr or Claire Reynolds at 707.445.0813.
Or send a check to: Ready To Learn Future Fund, P.O. Box 13, Eureka, CA 95502.
KEET TV's Ready To Learn Future Fund is also accepting car donations. Call 1.877.411.DONATE (1.877.411.3662) or fill out the easy donation form.
For more information about our free workshops and upcoming events, contact KEET TV's Ready to Learn Educational Programs Coordinator Jackie Hamilton by using our on-line contact form or by calling 707.496.6712.