Free family literacy workshops feature PBS KIDS! curriculum
Eight Educational Outreach-ASSET begins the first 48 in a series of 150 free family literacy workshops, next week. The North Phoenix Early Literacy Project, funded by a grant from the First Things First North Phoenix Regional Partnership Council, will potentially serve more than 720 parents and 1500 children. Each workshop includes video segments from PBS children’s programming, plus PBS KIDS Raising Readers curriculum featuring characters from Sesame Street, Word World, SuperWhy!, Martha Speaks and others. Children will attend with their parents and participate in related activities. Bilingual workshops are provided when requested by the community partners. Registration and details are available at http://www.azpbs.org/workshops.
Families do not have to reside in north Phoenix to participate and free childcare is available for children five and under.
Initial locations include:
• Madison Heights Elementary School (22nd Street north of Glendale) – Starts Sept. 28
• Orangewood Presbyterian Church (10th Street north of Glendale) – Starts Sept. 30
• Echo Mountain Primary School (18th Street south of Union Hills) – Starts Oct. 1
• Constitution Elementary School (15th Avenue and Union Hills) – Starts Oct. 5
• Lincoln Learning Center (3rd Street north of Dunlap) – Starts Oct. 5
• Sunnyslope Youth Center (17th Avenue and Peoria) – Starts Oct. 6
• Desert Dawn Elementary School (40th Street north of Greenway) – Starts Oct. 9
• Alta Vista Elementary School (31st Avenue south of Dunlap) – Starts Oct. 19
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 neighborhoods.
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. Eight is a member-supported service of Arizona State University.