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All PBS Edcamps are free, and participants develop the agenda the day of the event for their own learning experiences.<\/p>\n
During the pilot PBS Edcamps, specifically designed for early childhood educators, topics included \u201cbiting and hair-pulling and crying in the classroom, potty training, teacher burnout and difficult conversations with parents,\u201d Hirschfeld said.<\/p>\n
Once topics are set, educators join the sessions that interest them. Participants take and share notes for each session.<\/p>\n
Pilot stations reported enthusiastic responses in their communities. Louisiana Public Broadcasting quickly hit its maximum capacity for registration at 150 people. Seventy-four educators attended two Edcamps in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, said Nancy Tooraen, LPB education technology specialist. \u201cWe never expected that many,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
At the events, educators finally get a chance to network. \u201cThey were so excited to make a new friend, and share contact information,\u201d Tooraen said. \u201cThey left with a support system. These teachers don\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Detroit Public Television, \u201cthe experience also made us think about how we approach early childhood education,\u201d said Georgeann Herbert, SVP of strategy and community engagement. The station is experimenting with using the Edcamp approach \u201calmost as a diagnostic tool in neighborhoods where we expect to spend a lot of time, to surface the issues that educators are seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maricella Borrel, director of education at KLRN in San Antonio, said the Edcamp \u201cis honoring what teachers need. We give them the space to work and to have honest conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The initiatives on early childhood learning are supported by PBS\u2019 proposed budget for fiscal year 2019. Ranked among four priorities is \u201cfocusing on children\u2019s school readiness with content and experiences for kids, parents and teachers.\u201d The priority is second only to \u201ccontinued innovation in general audience programming.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the FY19 draft, now with stations for comment, grant revenue for Kids Content and Education is projected to grow from $2 million this fiscal year to $3.3 million in FY19. The increase is driven mainly by a CPB Digital Innovation grant<\/a> that supports community engagement around the PBS Kids 24\/7 service for children 2 to 8 years old. That line item is part of PBS\u2019 $53.4 million proposed budget for Children\u2019s Media and Education, projected to remain flat to this year\u2019s revenues.<\/p>\nThe Children\u2019s Media and Education team is working on the goal of \u201cmeasurably improving school readiness,\u201d the draft budget said.<\/p>\n
The draft budget noted that early childhood educators and caregivers \u201chave an outsized influence on a child\u2019s success in kindergarten and beyond, but often lack professional development opportunities and can benefit most from strategies that integrate our developmentally appropriate resources for young children.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n