AT-HOME LEARNING Continues with 11th Annual PBS SoCal KIDS Writers Contest Going Virtual with Awards Event on August 29
CONTACT Allison Gray
agray@pbssocal.org
747.201.5298
PBS SoCal’s Summer AT-HOME LEARNING Program Carries on Through the Fall Featuring Educational Webinars, Workshops and Digital Backpack Distributions With Continued Daily Educational TV Schedules as Well as Corresponding State Standards and Curriculum-Approved Online Resources All to Help Southern California Kids, Parents and Teachers Avoid the ‘Summer Slump’
pbssocal.org/writerscontest
pbssocal.org/athomelearning
Burbank, Calif. – July 23, 2020 – PBS SoCal, Southern California's home for new PBS program premieres, announced today that as part of the summer AT-HOME LEARNING initiative, the 11th Annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest Awards will be held virtually on Sat., August 29 via Zoom from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. With just seven days left to enter, the contest is still accepting multilingual submissions of original stories from kindergarten through third grade students across Southern California. During the ceremony, winners of the contest will be recognized and viewers will be able to watch the honorees read the winning stories. The event this year is sponsored by Compass Charter Schools, a WASC-accredited virtual personalized learning public charter school serving thousands of scholars throughout the state, and will be open to the public as well as guests who can register to “virtually participate” using the link here. KPCC’s Education Reporter Kyle Stokes will return as host of the Awards Ceremony to congratulate the winners and announce prizes for their writing efforts. The submission information, contest rules, prizes and entry form are available at www.pbssocal.org/writerscontest. The deadline to enter is
July 31, 2020.
Each year, the PBS KIDS Writers Contest encourages creative thinking and storytelling in students to build literacy and strengthen hands-on, active learning skills through illustrations of their own stories. Each submission is written and illustrated by the entrant with first, second, and third place winners chosen from each grade. Three winners from last year’s 10th Annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest had their short stories become animations on-air and are available to watch online at www.pbssocal.org/writerscontest.As the country moves into the sixth month of the COVID-19 pandemic, and communities prepare for Back-to-School, PBS SoCal plans to provide an array of multi-platform services to the regional Los Angeles and Orange County communities as a supplement to educational outreach for early childhood through high school learning.
The early learning team at PBS SoCal has a full lineup of activities this summer designed to integrate media and technology for online and at-home learning. PBS SoCal has developed high-quality resources and professional development training to support early childhood educators and families with resources and strategies to provide equitable and inclusive distance learning opportunities for students. This summer, the team will be hosting in-person and digital backpack distributions, virtual STEM Parent Academies, Family and Community Learning workshops as well as virtual PBS KIDS camps and Storytime events among many other activities. Additionally, weekly early learning webinar series (every Friday at 10 a.m.) provides content and techniques for engaging in distance learning with media and technology with an alternating weekly theme demonstrating hands-on activities that can be replicated at home. These educator-targeted topical webinars range from Anti-Racism to Science and English Language Development (ELA) to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).
PBS SoCal will host live Summer Learning Events on Facebook with PBS KIDS shows and various community partners. The events, geared towards families with young children, will feature activities kids can do at home to continue the learning all summer long. Virtual events will be held live at noon on Thursdays through the month of August.
The daytime educational programming schedules on PBS SoCal, KCET and KLCS will continue to be available free-of-charge through the summer months, complete with bilingual, easy to read programming grids featuring content that is compatible with PBS LearningMedia assets for teachers/parents. Printable AT-HOME LEARNING online materials to share and e-newsletter content for parents and educators will also be available at pbssocal.org/athomelearning with the goal of keeping kids learning throughout the summer months and provide learn-at-home experiences designed to both educate and engage.
Educational broadcast offerings are also available from the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and WORLD multicast services as well as through the PBS KIDS Video App, PBS LearningMedia, and PBS KIDS for Parents.
Additionally, a robust slate of editorial content and digital resources will be available during the summer and fall months at pbssocal.org/athomelearning to support parents and educators of kids ages 2-8 amid potential school shutdowns. The content will also include tie-ins to family favorites of national PBS KIDS programming. Topics to look out for at in the next few months include:
- Support for parents/caretakers and educators as they begin preparing to return to school
- School and personal safety (masks, hand-washing, etc.)
- Best practices for at-home learning
- Blended learning tips
- Regional educational news
- Social-emotional support
- Setting good at-home learning habits, such as structure and work spaces, etc.
- Advice for families and educators
- Navigating At-Home Learning with resources that include book lists, additional learning, subject-specific resources
Join the conversation on social media using @PBSSoCal
ABOUT PBS SOCAL PBS SoCal is a donor-supported community institution that is a part of Public Media Group of Southern California, the flagship PBS station for 19 million diverse people across California formed by the merger of PBS SoCal and KCETLink Media Group. PBS SoCal delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and entertain – over the air, online, in the community and in the classroom. We offer the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, Frontline, Independent Lens, a broad library of documentary films including works from Ken Burns; and educational PBS KIDS programs including Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Curious George. Our programs are accessible for free through four broadcast channels, and available for streaming at pbssocal.org, on the PBS mobile apps, and via connected TV services Android TV, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
About PBS KIDS PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online, mobile and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including the PBS KIDS video player, now offering free streaming video accessible on computer- and mobile-device-based browsers. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.
ABOUT Compass Charter Schools
Compass Charter Schools (CCS) is a WASC-accredited virtual personalized learning public charter school serving thousands of scholars throughout the state. Catering to TK-12 grade scholars, CCS offers two personalized learning programs. CCS is committed to creating a collaborative virtual learning community, inspiring scholars to appreciate the ways in which arts and sciences nurture a curiosity for lifelong learning and preparing scholars to take responsibility for their future successes.
For more information about CCS, visit www.compasscharters.org, via Twitter (https://twitter.com/CompassCs), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CompassCS/) or on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/compasscs/).