PBS SoCal Family Engagement
Become a Partner
PBS SoCal works with over 30 community partners across Southern California to offer evidence-based family engagement programs for families with children ages 2-8. PBS SoCal’s family workshops are designed from a strengths-based lens and approach families as equal and reciprocal partners in their children’s learning and development.
Currently, our free family engagement programs are offered through community organizations in Compton, East Los Angeles, Central and South Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Antelope Valley. If you are outside this area and/or would like to bring our family engagement workshops and resources to your community organization, home-based program, or school, please contact the PBS SoCal education team at education@pmgsocal.org. Read more about our family engagement workshops below.
What types of workshops does PBS SoCal offer?
We offer three types of workshops: Introductory Workshops, Parent Academies, and Family+Community Learning (FCL). A description of each is below.
- Introductory Workshops: Often an adult’s first introduction to our resources, these workshops focus on building understanding of foundational math and STEM skills and setting the stage for future learning.
- Parent Academies: An in-depth experience for adult caregivers to learn about embedding math and STEM learning into their everyday interactions with their child and increasing their own self-efficacy, positivity, and confidence.
- Family+Community Learning: A learning experience that brings the whole family together to build community through fun, hands-on learning opportunities.
What topics are covered in the workshops?
The workshops cover a range of topics including STEM, Family Math, and Literacy.
Who are these workshops for?
The workshops are geared towards families with children ages 2-8. Specifically, the Introductory Workshops and Parent Academies are for parents and adult caregivers. Family+Community Learning is for parents, caregivers, and children ages 2-8.
What types of community organizations do you work with?
We work with a variety of non-profit organizations, early childhood education centers, and school districts—pretty much anyone who serves young children and their families.
What is the time commitment for families?
The time commitment for each in-person session varies by workshop type:
- Introductory Workshops: 1 hour
- Parent Academies: 5 sessions, 1½ hours each
- Family+Community Learning: 4 sessions, 1½ hours each
All virtual workshops are only one hour.
Are the workshops offered in person or virtually?
Both! We are able to offer in-person and virtual workshops depending on your organization’s needs. For Family+Community Learning workshops, we provide a meal as part of the experience.
Are the workshops bilingual?
We offer all of our workshops and content in English and Spanish. We will work with your organization to determine the best setup for your workshops, including translation or separate English/Spanish sessions.
How are materials handled?
We provide all of the supplies needed to participate in the workshops free of charge. We can either deliver the materials to your organization and you can coordinate distributing them to families who signed up, or we can mail materials to individual families.
Do families get anything for participating in the workshops?
Families will receive educational materials as part of their participation in the workshops. Participants in the Parent Academies and Family+Community Learning will also receive a certificate upon completion of the series.
How much does this all cost?
Nothing! Due to our generous donor support, PBS SoCal covers the cost of all materials needed for the workshops and provides facilitators to run the workshops free of charge. If you would like to host an in-person workshop, we ask that you help us secure a physical location to run the workshop if possible.
Can we create a program to meet our organization’s and families’ needs?
Of course! PBS SoCal works with each partner individually to develop an engagement plan that meets your unique needs.
Do you offer learning opportunities besides workshops?
We regularly host virtual workshops and events that are open to the public. Check out our upcoming schedule.
Additional Learning Opportunities and Resources
- PBS SoCal Educators A collection of curriculum-based educational resources for early childhood classrooms.
- PBS Learning Media Free, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more just for teachers.
