Kids & Learning

The WFSU Ready To Learn program conducts workshops through out the viewing community.  We have distributed over 3000 books a year since the start of this program in 2000.  Themes of our workshops cover topics such as literacy, health and social and emotional development.  We train parents, teachers and caregivers throughout the area often partnering through local organizations.

The funding for this project is provided through a Ready To Lead in Literacy grant from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.  

We also conduct Train the Trainer workshops with our RTLL partners.  One recent training was with Kids Incorporated. Six center managers as well as site trainers attended a day long training conducted by WFSU staff.  After the training they left with the tools and materials they need in order to teach media literacy and early literacy using the Ready To Learn Triangle model in their centers.  Over 219 children will be impacted by this training.

Our workshops were conducted with the following partners:

• Chipley Foster Parent Group
• Florida Diagnostic Learning Resource Services (FDLRS)
• Florida State University Center for Civic Education
• Florida State University Early Head Start Program
• Gadsden County Head Start
• Leon County Adult Community Education
• Leon County Health Department
• Leon County LeRoy Collins Library
• Leon County School District
• Literacy Volunteers of Leon County
• Tallahassee Community College Education Program
• Tallahassee Parks and Recreation
• Taylor County Early Learning Coalition
• Taylor County Even Start and Head Start Programs
  

NCO Leadership Summit:
In the fall of 2004 WFSU was awarded a Leadership Grant from the National Center for Outreach.  WFSU hosted a leadership summit in May of 2005 inviting members of Leadership Tallahassee to participate.  The goal of the summit was to hear from the community at large how WFSU can best serve our viewing audience.  We addressed issues in the community and heard feedback on what we could do to address those concerns.  This summit enabled us to look at scheduled broadcast programs and determine if there is an outreach opportunity that ties into community concerns.  Over 40 Leadership Tallahassee participants attended.

PBS Kids Go! – Eeko World Project: In January 2005 WFSU was awarded a grant through the National Center for Outreach that targets Oak Ridge Elementary After School program,  a 21st Century Community Learning Center.  WFSU designed the project to engage minority children in hands-on learning activities to help them appreciate and understand their own habitat and how their actions affect it. This project began in the spring of 2005 and will conclude in the spring of 2006.  Twice weekly the students hear from local experts such as water and waste management officials, wildlife experts as well as take field trips to area sites in an effort to understand their environment. In addition they maintain a nature journal and utilize the PBS web site Eeko World. The students will design a final project that will have a lasting impact on their school environment.

Parenting Counts:  WFSU is working on a grant project funded through the Talaris Research Institute, a Seattle-based, nonprofit organization that advances knowledge of early learning and the importance of parenting in the first years of life.  Through this project we hosted a train the trainer session for area child care agencies, social services agencies as well as five other Florida PBS stations. In addition, we have integrated the materials into our Ready To Learn workshops that we conduct throughout the area.  Currently, WFSU is airing ten 60-second spots that feature parenting tips during our day-time and evening broadcasts.  These spots will also be made available to local hospitals, school districts and other organizations that communicate with parents.  Key partners in this project include Kids Incorporated and the University of Florida – IFAS Program in Leon County.

Visit Parenting Counts Web Site

Dragonfly TV Sci Girls Camp: For two weeks in July 2006 (July 10th through the 21st), 16 middle school aged girls had the chance to participate in a hands-on science camp. Through a grant from Dragonfly TV and the National Science Foundation, WFSU partnered with the FSU Magnetic Field Laboratory, the FSU Saturday at the Sea Program and the Tallahassee Museum, to encourage young girls to pursue a career in science. Girls from middle schools throughout the area had the opportunity to for fun hands-on science exploration all around the area – from the Gulf of Mexico to Wakulla Springs. They even set up a science experiment at Seminole Bowl! After two weeks of exploring science these girls found new science loving friends and that not only was science fun but that there are lots of terrific careers for women in the world of science. WFSU hopes that this camp will be offered again in 2007! Stay tuned. We will be posting information about registering for 2007 soon!

Watch Sci Girls Video