The core of Ready To Learn is a full day of non-violent, commercial-free, educational children's television programming broadcast free of charge to every American household. The daily broadcast includes award-winning programs such as Arthur, Dragon Tales, Clifford, Between the Lions, and Reading Rainbow.

Ready To Learn also provides extensive outreach services to the local area. These services include workshops for parents, childcare providers and other early childhood professionals and distribution of children's books and PBS Families/para la Familia magazine. Ready To Learn is funded by a Ready To Learn Television Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education through the Public Broadcasting Service.

Children's Program Schedule

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Children and Television
Second only to parents, television is the young child's most influential teacher. Nothing else in our culture can match television's ability to influence how children learn, think and act. Given the power of television, young children need adults to help them become wise television users. Many studies show that with selective viewing, television can contribute richly to school readiness. To help children get the most from the TV they watch parents must take responsibility to supervise and guide their children's TV viewing.

• Tips for Parents Printout
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Community Events
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Workshops for Parents, Teachers, and Caregivers
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On-air Educational Messages
Messages for children related to reading and learning are promoted through non-commercial video breaks aired between PBS Kids television programs.

PBS Families and para la Familia
PBS Families/para la Familia, a newsletter printed in English and Spanish is published twice per year as part of the Ready To Learn service. It is distributed through local stations to parents, childcare providers and other education professionals through outreach activities.

Books for Children
Each month, through outreach activities, local Ready To Learn stations distribute 300 free books to children who otherwise would not have books of their own. The books, provided to local stations as part of the Ready To Learn agreement, are secured through a partnership with First Book.