PBS SoCal Family Engagement Returns to In-Person Event at City of STEM Kickoff Festival
PBS SoCal was proud to return to the community with its first in-person family engagement event since 2020, as a partner at the City of STEM Kickoff Festival on Saturday, April 2. Hosted at the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey, the event focused on science, technology, engineering, and math for young learners. The festival was a breath of fresh air and one of the first in-person educational events many families attended since the beginning of the pandemic.
Our education department's superstars, including Sandra Cruz, Khrystal Alas, and Pablo Aguirre, hosted a buzzing activity table, a fun ScratchJr introductory programming workshop, and a surprise visit from a character from PBS KIDS show "Let's Go Luna." Attendees of all ages stopped by the PBS SoCal table to collect bubbles and bookmarks, to make shape mobiles, and to trade in their shape scavenger hunt booklets for books and other goodies.
Some families who have participated in our many virtual workshops during the pandemic simply stopped by to finally meet their educators in person. Linda Lara and Jose Pedroza recently concluded the five-week Family Math Parent Academy workshop series over Zoom.
“We want to thank Pablo for giving us good activities and finding a way for us to be with (Jose) more,” said Lara.
Evelin Martinez echoed the sentiment about finding new ways to engage with her daughter Erika during the PBS SoCal STEM Parent Academy, which was offered to local parents and caregivers in partnership with the USC School for Early Childhood Education.
"Me gusta mucho involucrarme mucho en la vida de ella," Martinez said. "Gracias por toda la ayuda que nos dan. Que dios me los bendiga." ("I love being involved in her life," Martinez said. "Thank you for all the help you give us. May god bless you.")
For more information on PBS SoCal’s educational events and resources in-person and online, please visit our Education hub.
