Educational Outreach unit awarded grant for literacy workshops
Eight Educational Outreach-ASSET was awarded the First Things First North Phoenix Regional Council Family Literacy Grant for $352,000 for 2010-2011, renewable for the next two years. Eight will work with 25 groups throughout North Phoenix and provide a series of six family literacy workshops, reaching 720 parents and 1500 children in the region. The project planning begins Monday, Aug. 2 and the workshops are scheduled to begin in late September.
“We are honored and excited to receive this grant from First Things First,” said Kimberly Flack, Eight’s Associate General Manager–Educational Initiatives. “The funding will allow us to make a long-term commitment to the North Phoenix neighborhoods and to bring proven literacy programs to their families.”
Each workshop includes video segments from PBS children’s programming, plus PBS KIDS Raising Readers online curriculum featuring characters from Sesame Street, Word World, SuperWhy!, Martha Speaks and others. Children will attend with their parents and participate in related activities. The bilingual workshops will be available evenings or weekends.
In addition to literacy materials, all families will receive supplemental information to further their own education, career advancement, and increase their awareness of community resources.
The City of Phoenix, John C. Lincoln Hospital, Madison and Washington Elementary School Districts, Deer Valley Unified and Paradise Valley Unified School Districts, and Orangewood Presbyterian Church will collaborate on the project by hosting workshops for their communities.
First Things First was established by Arizona voters to help provide greater opportunities for all Arizona children five and under to help them grow ready to succeed.
About Eight's Educational Outreach
Arizona Pre K-12 students benefit from outreach programs and educator professional development distributed statewide by Eight Educational Outreach-ASSET. For more information visit www.azpbs.org/asset.
About Eight, Arizona PBS
Eight, Arizona PBS specializes in the education of children, in-depth news and public affairs, lifelong learning, and the celebration of arts and culture — utilizing the power of noncommercial television, the Internet, educational outreach services, and community-based initiatives. The PBS station began broadcasting from the campus of Arizona State University on January 30, 1961. Now more than 80 percent of Arizonans receive the signal through a network of translators, cable and satellite systems. With more than 1 million viewers each week, Eight consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the country. Arizonans provide more than 60 percent of the station’s annual budget. For more information, visit www.azpbs.org.