Education Forum; Ready to Learn

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Right Left Left Left Left Welcome to Education Form Ready to Learn.

The staff here at UNCTV North Carolina's 11th Station Public Television Network is delighted to have become the 100th through 111st Public Television Station to inaugurate this very special television service. In order to prepare for the formal launch of the Ready to Learn service in October, our programming staff began to change the schedule during the summer, so the people would get used to the new lineup of special children's programming. With me today is Emily Castleberry, UNCTV's preschool coordinator. Emily is a licensed North Carolina teacher who before joining us ran her own daycare program and also worked in the public schools. This project is not new to Emily since she has participated in all the formal trainings and facilitated the Sesame Street preschool education program, the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood Child Care Initiative, and the Puzzle Place Outreach Project for UNCTV. Emily, how does this

Ready to Learn project differ from what you've been doing for the past year? Basically it's an expansion of what I'm doing into encompassing all of the children's programs that we have here on UNCTV and helping the children of North Carolina to understand how to be ready for school using meter literacy. Also we have a program called First Book that helps us to get books into the hands of children who normally would not have books, and that is actually the major difference because the focus is actually the same. One of the things we did was to ask the experts at PBS to explain all the details of the Ready to Learn project. So now via video, let's meet Miss Sandy Welsh, the Executive Vice President of PBS in charge of education, and Miss Alice Con, Director of Children's Programming at PBS. What I look for as a parent in what I consider to be

quality programming for my kids is something that addresses the essence of who they are, something that talks to the soul of children. PBS very clearly introduces your children to quality stuff, during the most important period and the most influential period of their lives. What are the most successful programs that have ever been, those in which somebody shares an honest self with the people at home? And PBS has allowed us to do that. Welcome UNC -TV, North Carolina's 11 stations statewide network and the 100th station to join the Ready to Learn service. PBS Ready to Learn is public television's contribution to the national educational goal that by the year 2000 all

children will start school ready to learn. Since it began in 1994, Ready to Learn remains the only educational television service of its kind available to American families. It began with just 10 PBS stations, grew to 44 stations in its second developmental phase, and now has 120 stations participating since the national launch in the fall of 96. Ready to Learn represents an active community -based approach to helping young children begin their educational journeys. It includes a daily lineup of quality educational children's programming, educational messages between programs that urge children to be creative, curious, cooperative, and responsible learners, supplementary educational materials for children and adults. PBS Family's newsletter, first

book, station -sponsored training sessions, and workshops for families, teachers, and caregivers. And of course, at the heart of this service is PBS's Outstanding Children's Programming. And here to talk about that is Alice Khan, Director of Children's Programming at PBS. Thanks very much Sandy. PBS and the National Ready to Learn Service currently distribute 18 different television series for children. And as you move through this teleconference and discuss them many ways, you can use PBS -based services to further children's imaginations and education. Please keep in mind a conversation I had recently with a very well -respected children's TV network head who said to me, Alice, you know, I really like that wishbone series you folks do, but couldn't you have done it without the books? Let me walk you briefly through why PBS will never do it without the books. Our TV broadcast schedule and development plans are dictated by the needs of the Ready to Learn Service. As we began this project more than four years ago, we realized that in order to meet the challenge of having

every child begin school ready to learn, the force behind the development of our educational television series needed to be the skills identified by the School Readiness Technical Planning Group for the National Education Goals panel. Working within these guidelines, we provide educators, parents and child care providers with the television series and materials they need to help the children they care for get and stay ready to learn. Those school readiness skills are listed as follows. Physical and motor skill development exemplified by a series like Barney and Friends. Social and emotional skill development. Again, Barney and Friends does a lovely job of this as does Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, Sesame Street, Shining Time Station and Theatre Tugboat. Critical thinking and problem -solving skill development. Arthur does a wonderful job of this as does the Magic School Bus, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, Wishbone and Sesame Street. Language and literacy skills development. Again, Arthur is a good

example of a series that touches on this topic as is, of course, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Storytime and Shining Time Station. Cognitive skill development. Again, Barney and Friends, but certainly also the Magic School Bus, Where in Time is Carmen San Diego and Sesame Street. Science study exemplified by series like Bill Nye the Science Guy, Crats Creatures, The Magic School Bus and, of course, Reading Rainbow. Life skills development. Barney and Friends, Bill Nye the Science Guy does a great job of this as does Crats Creatures and for younger children, of course, Mr. Rogers addresses this topic. Cultural and social diversity appreciation and understanding. The puzzle places an outstanding example of a series that addresses this topic as is Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street and Where in Time is Carmen San Diego. And last but not least, music and art appreciation and performance and here nobody does this better on public television than Fred Rogers. Sandy, the programming obviously is at the core of the

Ready to Learn Service, but it's more than programming. Ready to learn workshops, help adults learn how to select appropriate children's programming and how to maximize the benefits. Family members and caregivers are shown how they can help young children become actively involved with what they see on television. Adding age appropriate activities and selected books to help enhance the material presented on television and to make it more meaningful in the lives of children. The Ready to Learn First Book Partnership was established between the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and First Book, which is a not -for -profit organization dedicated to putting books into the hands of children who might not otherwise own them. Funds from the U .S. Department of Education allow CPB to provide free children's books each month to every Ready to Learn station. Station coordinators report how Ready to Learn Benefits Children through their parents. After

attending a Ready to Learn workshop, parents have often gotten their first library card or started attending GED classes, learned how to read and have certainly become more and more important. They have been involved in their children's education. Since its launch in July of 1994, Ready to Learn stations have conducted a total of almost 3 ,000 workshops, trained over 74 ,000 caregivers or other professionals, and over 44 ,000 parents, and collectively they've reached just under a million children. We want to thank you for becoming a part of this service and very much look forward to working with you. We'll close with this video clip that we hope will inspire you and others that you'll be working with to get those North Carolina youngsters ready to learn. You are the new day. You are the new

day. I will love you more than me and more than yesterday. If you can but prove to me, you are the new day. Send the sun in time for gold. Let the birds all hail the morning. Love of life will let it be said. You are the new day. Joining us now are Robin Britt, Governor Jim Hunts, Policy Advisor for Children, Families and Nonprofits, and David Walker, Executive Director of the North Carolina Partnership for Children, that are known as the Agency of the Looking Smart Start. Robin,

what exactly is smart start and why did the governor decide to initiate this program? Basically smart start is a program designed for every child in North Carolina to arrive at school, healthy and ready to learn. And what the studies have shown is that those early formative years are critical not only to a child's success in school, but also later in their lifetime vocationally and otherwise. So the healthy components being sure children are immunized, they have their health screenings, they don't, if there's a hearing loss or other issues, attention deaths at this order, that they're discovered early and treated early. From the point of view of school readiness, it's making sure that children receive the stimulation as a young child, that they have the opportunities for reading. And in the daycare setting, that there's quality in that setting and that the, all the safeguards are in place for the child, and they have

an opportunity to achieve their potential then and later in life. David, what does this really mean for the children of North Carolina, and are they benefiting? They are benefiting certainly from these services. The programs and services provided by smart start offer children below the age of six, all children in North Carolina with access to affordable and high quality child care, health care, and other critical family services. And so what this has meant is that approximately 150 ,000 children have received high quality care and preschool education. There's been approximately 40 ,000 children that receive child care subsidies so that they can, again, access even higher quality child care, about 87 ,000 children in the state have received preventive and intervention screenings, health screenings for vision, speech hearing, and about 23 ,000 child care. New child care slots have been created and about 26 ,000 teachers have received training. So those are just a few of the benefits that children and families and providers have received through the smart start program.

Again, all aimed at helping, as Robin said, helping children to enter school healthy and motivated and ready to learn. All right, Robin, what do local partnerships, how do they determine what help is going to be given to this? The first thing is that every three years a need assessment is done in each county of North Carolina to determine the needs of the young children, county by county. They may very, very much from a county in the west to the county in the eastern middle. So first you start with the need assessment. Then the part of what has helped the smart start work so well is decisions are made not in Raleigh, but at the local community. They then shape the program that will work best for their children based on the needs of the assessed in their county. The decisions are made right there. They make the funding decisions. The plan, a two -year rolling plan is drafted to meet those objectives and to help those kids where they have the needs. So it's exciting because instead of dropping a 300 -page document on the doorstep and local community say, go forth and execute this, we say,

hear the needs or hear something that assesses the needs, you decide what your children need, how you're going to put that into play. And that, I think, in the collaboration among all these different groups that serve young children in that community working together, making decisions is one of those exciting parts of smart start. Now is smart start in all 100 counties in North Carolina? Not yet, I'll let David. We have 47 local partnerships each operate as a nonprofit organization with the board of directors, staff and their own funding for the smart start programs to meet the needs in those counties. Now those 47 partnerships represent 55 counties. Now with the $23 million budget increase that we receive will be able to expand the program to all 100 counties. So there's 45 counties out there that will now be getting planning money to begin to put their plans together to address the needs of young children and families. So at this time next year, hopefully we will have program dollars and program and services in all 100 counties in North Carolina. So each county then is doing

individual needs assessment? They are and some counties are collaborating with other counties that are continuous to them, informing a regional partnership or multi -county partnership. Some as many as seven counties like in region A and other smaller counties are looking at ways to offer these services more efficiently and effectively through collaboration. Now your agency is the North Carolina partnership for children. That's right. How does that work with smart start? Well the North Carolina partnership for children itself is a nonprofit organization and it has the responsibility for the oversight and the administration of the smart start program. But more specifically we provide training, technical assistance and support to all of the local partnerships and helping them to develop the capacity to deliver services again in the most efficient and effective way possible. Now Robin we've been reading a lot about the licensing of daycare centers and the preparation of teachers. How is this going to improve things across the state as far as child care? Well tremendously David mentioned some of the statistics but the whole issue here is quality

and improving that quality of care. So there are programs like Teach which has very much coordinated with smart start. It's allowing teachers to have someone replace them in the daycare center. They go to the community college, work on a certificate or associate degree there. Often when they come back they receive an increase in salary. It's a wonderful program has received a national recognition. But the dollars for quality enhancement have been there so that local smart start have in many cases been able to help centers do the things to improve their quality, improve their playground, make that a very fine center. But the real key is the teacher and retaining that teacher and giving the teacher the tools to give the children the development they need. David do you feel that in all these needs assessments they are going to be able to get a standardization across the state of what kind of training

these teachers need? I believe there will be with those standards certainly to assure that that quality can be sustained at a certain level that's necessary for the children to receive the services that they should in that type of setting. And do you think the children will improve immensely in school after they've been initially screened in your... No question in my mind that that will be the outcome. And eventually it will save the taxpayers dollars right across the board. More definitely. And a number of areas that where problems can be prevented. So we're certainly with the providers out there, daycare providers and others. We're looking at them to affect change in children, to prevent the negative changes from occurring in children and to promote the positive changes. And certainly that the education and the care and the health services that they receive prior to going to school will help them immensely in school. And if they're helped in school if they can be successful, they'll be successful in life and can lead productive lives and contribute to society. Robert how are the parents in the community going to get involved in all of this? Well smart start very

much recognizes that for young children the parent is the first in primary teacher. So there are programs that are working with parents. There is engagement of that parent. Materials, libraries are deeply engaged. You have to remember that at this table for this local nonprofit that's formed in each county. You have every player. You have the librarian, you have the school superintendent, you have... So it's the whole community. The whole community embracing this, having this vision, putting together their plan and then going out and seeing that plan become a reality. So that collaborative part is so exciting component of this. Right and David does your group sort of oversee the formation of these plans and sort of give them guidance? These strategic plans that are developed and designed at the local level with the local partnerships then go to the state partnership in April. And our strategic planning committee which is chaired by Dr. Huff, a pediatrician from Nashville. Those committees review those plans to make sure that five core service

areas have been met within those plans that relate to child care, affordability, child care, accessibility, child care quality, family support and health. And then there's other money that's available for other discretionary programs in addition to that. So we review the plans and make sure that all of those needs are addressed. The planning process has been one that has engaged the community where there's been collaboration where they look at the multitude of needs of young children in their communities and the plan addresses those needs. And then if it has met that criteria then those programs, those plans are approved and funding will flow. And will this be an annual type of review that goes on? Yes, it has been since the program started and will continue to be that way. All righty. And is this part of the evaluation procedure too? The evaluation procedure is somewhat separate. The Frank Porter Graham Center at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill does the evaluation of Smart Start. And a recent evaluation report indicated that in the first 18 counties where Smart Start was initiated and programs and services were offered that the quality of child care in those communities improved

significantly. And so I think those are very promising results for children and families. Robin, since we're talking to the populace of North Carolina right now, if there was one message you would like to relay to them of how they can best help this whole project, what would you tell them? I would say first understand the importance of those early years of life, of the role of the whole community. Parents obviously were the whole community in nurturing and enhancing that cognitive and social development of that child. And be willing to put resources there and to put attention to that because there is now no doubt. The new learnings about the brain development, learnings about what happens for those early years, is that a child's performance in our school system, that a child's avoidance of bad outcomes in terms of juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancy, welfare dependency, hardcore employment,

all of the bad outcomes. Starts in those first years of life, zero to five or critical years. So know that, support that and be sure that your Smart Start in your county, your involvement can be to help be a part of that and make sure that they achieve the most for that substantial investment that the state is making to the tune of about $300 million when fully funded a year. David, suppose I was citizen in the county and want to find out more about Smart Start in my county, where would I look? You could look in the phone book certainly and call the local county partnership for children and they would be able to provide the information on all services that are available in that county for young children and how to access those services. And is there also a role for volunteers? There is. I think we have had 107 ,000 volunteer hours that have been provided throughout the Smart Start counties across the state and that ranges anywhere from volunteers working in child care

centers to professionals who would volunteer their time to do health screenings or to do follow -up care for vision screenings and things like that. Well, I want to thank both you gentlemen for being with us today and we're now going to take a look at the role that UNC TV is playing in the Ready to Learn service, which we hope compliments and we know does compliments start start. Get ready to harness the power of television and lighten your children's minds and spark their curiosity using the UNC TV Ready to Learn service. This service takes fun shows and combines them with educational materials so your children can learn from their favorite programs such as Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Make UNC TV your strongest educational resource as you encourage children

to respond to what they see and hear in the world around them. Get your children ready for school while helping them discover the fun of learning. Children learn by watching and imitating what they see. Caregivers can use their children's favorite television shows as positive models of behavior and learning. Watch as your children begin to learn to express reactions to things they see and hear on television as they play, sing and dance along with these quality programs. Ready to learn encourages caregivers to actively participate in their children's development by watching and talking with children while they are watching their favorite program. This outreach service encourages the use of television in a way that corresponds with a child's learning process keeping in mind that children need lots of time to move, talk, play and interact with others.

Three things to remember while watching a program with children are, ask questions to see what the child is learning. Make sure the child understands what he or she is watching. Relate the material in the program to similar activities that you as a caregiver are doing with the children. Hands -on activities with children are the most important part of the child's educational development. You should use television programs to supplement, not take the place of the daily interaction and caring that you give to the children. Find a television program that corresponds with activities that you are already planning for the children. For instance, if you are planning to finger -paint and Mr. Rogers has a show airing about art, be sure to watch this episode with the children. Always tune into the interests and needs of children. To effectively teach them, we must reach the children on their level. What was the show about? What was the one

thing that we held up for? A child's everyday experiences can be related to any program. Help your children learn something new by relating it to something they have already experienced. It is estimated that children watch about 4 ,000 hours of television before they even enter school. Imagine how much we could teach our children if we told them something educational 4 ,000 times. Children are also exposed to approximately 200 commercials per week. These advertisers try to sell our children hundreds of products. When your child watches UNCTV, the only thing your child will be sold is an education. Use all of the tools and resources available to prepare your children for learning. UNCTV can be one of the most important tools in education. Learning to use television wisely can become a vast resource for our children. To facilitate the learning process, choose television shows for your children that

encourage children to use their imagination, creativity and critical thinking. Encourage is active participation like singing and dancing. Reinforces the ideas and themes of daily activities. Inspires children to want to learn more about various topics. Help children to become comfortable with and accepting of their own and others' cultures. There are many quality programs within the UNCTV schedule. Be selective and sparing with television choices. Take the programs that you think may be appropriate for your children. Select programs that are specifically tailored to the age group of the children in your care. Encourage children to respond actively to what they see and hear on television. Think of the TV segment as one part of the learning process that can supplement reading and other activities. The ready to learn service on

UNCTV strongly supports the development of language, reading and writing. Children are never too young or too old to be read too. Reading to a child allows them to share a special moment with someone they care about. Books can make a world of difference in the lives of our children. By reading with children, you show them that books can open up the entire universe to their imagination. First book is a program that is an important public television partner. This innovative program is dedicated to giving books to children who do not have access to these resources. Repetition of ideas is important to help young children learn new materials. Care givers can aid children in the learning process by combining activities, reading and television programs. By working together, we all can prepare our children to be ready to learn for a lifetime.

For more information about UNCTV's Ready to Learn program, contact Emily Castleberry, preschool coordinator, UNCTV. 10 TW Alexander Drive, PO Box 14900, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709. You can also contact Emily Castleberry by telephone at 919 -549 -7149. By fax at 919 -549 -7168. And by email at ecastleberryatunctv .org. More information is available at our website, UNC -link .unctv .org. Welcome back. Our panel of true experts today consists of preschool educators who are really making a big difference in the

lives of North Carolina's children. Dr. Karen DuBord is a state training specialist for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Karen, why is attention to early learning so important? Well, I guess the basic reason is that children need a good foundation. They need a place to start. They need to develop a sense of trust in those significant adults around them. They need to be stimulated, talk to, and that's going to set a foundation for where their learning is going to go later on. I guess another piece of that is you're developing the emotional wiring that's going to be carried with them for the rest of their lives. We know that our new brain research is telling us a lot about the fact that the emotions connect so heavily to the learning and that those are set early in life through touching, through trust, through voices, and through many more things that set that pace for later on positive relationships and healthy learning. All right, Pam Hines is the co -director of learning together

and cooperated in Rolly. Pam, when we talk about early literacy, how does that play out in young preschool children? In the daycare center, even in the home, communication is very important, whether it's written or oral communication. And when I think about that, I think about my grandson and the fact that he learns everything through his environment, through what he sees and hears and touches and smells. And it's real interesting that when children run or driven by McDonald's, that word, that sign means something to them. And then that starts all the language, or when they're in the home and a book is read to them or in the school of book is read to them, and then they begin to repeat the sounds and repeat the words. Then that starts early literacy and the fact that they're able to point and look at the printed language. All of that starts the idea of early literacy and learning. And it's real, just real fascinating to see it happen, or to see a beautiful little child smile at

you and then you smile back and that starts the early learning process. That's so true. And the same with the science with McDonald's, I know very well. Nancy Brown is with us. And she's the president of the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children. Nancy, what things can parents do to assure learning of children in their early years? The first thing that parents can do, I think, is to be very much involved with their children. And not to make an assumption that these are not important years that learning comes later. Learning starts the minute a child enters the world. We know that. And parents are the first and most important teachers that a child will ever have. And if parents are working or for whatever reason have their child and child care programs, they should be very much invested in those programs and spend a lot of time in the programs and develop the habit of communicating frequently with teachers and being in the environment so that they know their

child's friends know what's happening in the program and are able then to converse with their child about it so that it's an important part of the child's day. And not something that's separate from what the parent does. And obviously if that habit starts when children are young, hopefully it will continue when children get into older grades because we know that the more parents are involved with their children's learning at all ages, the better the children will do. Alice Thomas is with us too. And Alice is the Hornet County child with the hearted county child care resource and referral service. I'll get it right yet. Alice, what happens to a child who doesn't grow up in an environment rich with music, language, and affection? It's a shame that there are children that do not have that opportunity early on and it's just not enabling them to flourish as they could because every child can, they will not be

able to benefit later in life. If they're going to start off slower by the time they get to kindergarten, if they haven't had these experiences, it's just going to take them longer. And they need all the self -confidence with, they have all these things early, they'll have the self -confidence they need, not to mention the skills that they'll need to begin. Just to talk to a baby as you change a diaper, it doesn't take a real intelligent person to carry on a conversation with an infant and it doesn't matter that they don't know exactly what you're saying, but they'll see those smiles and they'll see those eyes and they'll begin that trust as early as changing a diaper. So it begins, as she said, right at the very beginning. Who else, ladies, in the community should be involved with young children? I'm just going to put that out. Emily, do you want to tackle that? Well, besides the parents, of course, community helpers, leaders in the community, such as, well, as UNCTV needs to be

involved with children and helping them to be ready for school, but the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, the Smart Start, Resource Referral, all these people, the library systems, all of these different communities agencies need to work together so that we can work for the whole child. All right, Karen, how does Cooperative Extension support the early learning years? I'll tell you that, but I want to build on what Emily said, too, is to realize that the child doesn't grow up in isolation, that the child is a member of the family and the family is a member of a community and a neighborhood and there are many community systems, the schools and all the organizations that you named and service organizations, and then, of course, that community is a member of a larger society. And so, keeping that in mind helps to guide many of the things that we're planning. In Cooperative Extension, for people that don't know, Cooperative Extension is located in all 100 counties plus the Cherokee Reservation in the

state, with a core staff and our family and consumer educator in those counties is delivering child care training, parenting education, facilitating groups to come together to talk about common purpose. And so, I guess, being a wing of North Carolina State University and North Carolina A &T, we're a research based educational delivery system with a local presence. And so, knowing that there's a research base there where they can turn is often something very credible in communities and not a regulatory kind of agency, but more of an educational entity. All righty. Alice, could you describe the partnership that your group has had with UNCTV and Emily? We, as a child care resource referral agency, work with child care providers in our county in training. And when I learned about what UNCTV offers in the area of child care training, I was

thrilled, Emily has been to our county twice. And it's wonderful to see quality training opportunities like this come out and really get to the grassroots of where it really matters. Working with child care providers and Emily has worked with about 100 providers in our county. And they have four hours each session of excellent training opportunities so that they can go back and have another resource, not use the television as a babysitter. But use it as an educational resource. And it's just been wonderful to have her come. And I look forward to continuing to have her come. Oh, that's terrific. Pam, now that we've admitted we're grandparents. How can parents and grandparents prepare his or her child or grandchild for preschool? And again, reflecting back to my grandson, one of the best things that I've always told parents as well as my own children is to familiarize yourself with

the day care center or the school setting that your child is going to go into so that you get to know the teachers and you get to learn the routines of what's going on. And that you look at the even the visual signs that are in the building, whether or not they're welcoming signs or that kind of thing. And also see if you can set up opportunities where you can have a buddy system where there's a child in that program that your new child is going into and that child becomes their buddy. And my grandson said yesterday he found a buddy in his new school. And I thought for sure he would cry a great deal, but he has adjusted very well because he had an opportunity to go a few times a visit. We had a chance to go a few times a visit. The other thing about that is just making sure that when the parents and the staff members get together that they themselves see this as a working relationship as a group together rather than a separate entity that they're really in this together and that really there what that child sees is exactly what they get. If they see the teachers working together with

their parents, then it becomes a collaboration. And so that works out really well. And then finally, once you put your child in the center, tend to sort of step back and let go and not be afraid that you made the worst mistake by placing your child in the center away from mom and dad, but that you have you have the confidence that you did a good job. You took the time and selected a center that was appropriate for your child and that it is going to be a good learning experience. Nancy, you're the president of an organization that oversees more or less the advancement of the education of young children. What vision do you see for the children in North Carolina? Well, I would like every child to have the kind of early childhood program that he or she is ready for and that the parents elect. I'm going to sort of cap my, we're a professional membership organization and we focus on professional development of the people who work in child care. So I'm going to kind of meld my answer with Pam's because one of the things that I would encourage parents to do is to have confidence in their caregivers and the teachers in the program.

These people have been the subject of much conversation about how poorly prepared they are and how so the regulations require so little. And sometimes it gives people the reason to assume that that means none of them are well prepared and that they're not committed, that's not true. Many of them are very well prepared and some of the, I mean these are the most committed people in the world if you ask me because they work for what I consider very poor compensation and they devote their lives to the children and families of our state. So one of the things I would like to encourage people to do is be supportive of the person who's providing care for your children and realize that that person has made a commitment to your child. If you have a problem, sit down and talk about it. Don't make an assumption that if I talk to the teachers, she will not be nice to my child the next day. They don't do that. They are there for your children and there to work with you as parents and if you spend time in

the center and get to know the teacher's plural usually and other children and parents in the program, you will be doing your child a wonderful favor. And joining as a collaborating teacher with those people, your child is your responsibility first but you are sharing it and you need to be a partner and be supportive of your partner. All right Emily, a lot of times people say children shouldn't watch television. It's not healthy, it's not good for them but here we are a television station that's involved in getting children ready to learn. What would you say to those people? That television can be used as a teaching tool if it's used properly. If you use it as a resource, not as a quote babysitter as some people think the television was originally planned for which we know that's not the case. The programs that we have here in UNCTV reach those goals that we want the children to reach by the year 2000. And if you use those programs intelligently, selectively, when I tell people in my

workshops to tape the programs, to preview it, to see what's going to fit in with your curriculum and make sure that it fits in with your children's needs using small segments, not whole programs. Well, thank you all ladies. It's been a wonderful experience you're having you here with us today. Ready to learn involves children up to the age of 12. So with us today, we're very happy to have Sue Scott from the Department of Public Instruction. Sue is a telecommunication specialist and she's going to tell us about what's happening on school television. Thanks, Mary Kay. I'm happy to be here today to share with you information about the Department of Public Instructions new school television series along with a sampling of what they look like. But first, I want to alert you to some changes in program delivery that have taken place since last fall. Our Distance Learning Program for High School Instruction and Staff Development, formerly known as Tion, is now organized as a not -for -profit called Starnet. We have

approximately 180 Starnet sites around the state. For staff development opportunities, scheduled each Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 4 over the Starnet Network, please call me at 919 -715 -719. I will be happy to send you a schedule and to advise you of the site closest to you. Now for school television news. To facilitate the use of curriculum -related video resources, the Department of Public Instruction in conjunction with UNC television will deliver the school television schedule between 4 and 6 each morning. The one exception is Integrated Science, which will remain on the UNC television daytime schedule. There are now 11 UNC stations statewide. Please identify the station in your area and set your VCR the evening before, Monday through Friday, to receive two hours of programming

each morning, Tuesday through Saturday, 4 to 6 a .m. Each week programming will be devoted to a particular subject area. For example, Language Arts Week. Last week, September 16 through 20, was a Language Arts Week and the schedule covered the story of Readily Didally and our new Read -On cover to cover in its entirety, as well as three staff development programs. This week is the Social Studies Week, which features living in the Americas, the Western Hemisphere. It is new to our schedule and designed to support the 5th grade Social Studies curriculum by North Carolina State Humanities Extension Division. If you miss these, for most of the series, you may request a loan copy for duplication from the Distance Learning section by using the order form in your school television catalog. However, I should warn you that there may be a waiting list and the most efficient method

for building a personal instructional video library is to record them as they are scheduled. Please make it your priority. There is a copy of the School Television Catalog, complete with STV overnight information and calendars in each media center in every school. We have asked the media coordinators to copy the calendars for each K -8 teacher. See them or call us 919 -715 -1728. Now for a sneak preview. The first series, exploring the diversity of life, is a series of 10 -10 -minute programs that explores the large variety of species that share this planet. The series crosses the curriculum, beginning with biology, including natural selection, ecology, morphology, and taxonomy. And from there to earth science, language arts, and even social studies, all concepts are illustrated

by comparing examples filmed in the wild, in North America, temperate forest, as well as Amazonian rainforests. Let's take a look at a clip from program number one, a world of differences. Hello. The forests in my backyard and in the park are home for a lot of different

creatures. They're called temperate forests because the temperature here swings through the seasons from freezing to hot and back again. But when we imagine places where there are lots of different kinds of creatures, we usually think of tropical rainforests, wet, warm places where it doesn't freeze. It's true that wet tropical forests have more different kinds of creatures, that abundance is called diversity. But both temperate and tropical forests have diversity and plenty of it, and it's important that both kinds of forests keep their diversity. Whether it's just down the street or in a rain forest, whether the creatures are large or small, in the water, on land, or in the air, diversity is important to all of us. When it comes to the diversity of life, different means different species of plants and animals.

Species are groups of creatures that only produce offspring with their own kind, like cats and dogs or different species. So they don't mix. You've never seen a cat dog. Different kinds of dogs do mix. They're the same species. There are so many species we don't even know what most of them are, or even how many. There might be 10 million or five times that many. Since life began, natural events like asteroids hitting the earth and ice ages have wiped out species, like the dinosaurs. When species disappear, it's called extinction. But as eons go by, new species arise. One reason more species keep being created

is that diversity encourages more diversity, because living things are connected by being part of each other's habitats. Exploring the diversity of life was designed to be used from grades four and up, but the science consultant who reviewed it thought that given the whimsical opening and the beautiful nature photography, it may be used for even lower grades to varying degrees. From our part, I like the emphasis on the vocabulary. We have purchased rights and perpetuity, so record it off there and put it in your video library for a life of tape. Next, the ever popular and reliable format of John Robbins Cover to Cover series. This year we've opted for the ones most recently produced. Cover to cover with 16 new titles for the third and fourth graders, and read on Cover to Cover as many new titles for fourth and fifth graders. Now let's take a look at Chevrolet Saturday by Candy Boyd. This year, we've been working on Chevrolet Saturday. We've been working on Chevrolet Saturday by Candy Boyd. We've been working on Chevrolet Saturday by Candy Boyd. We've

been working on Chevrolet Saturday by Candy Boyd. This is a 1953 Chevrolet pickup. It's over 40 years old and it's still going strong. This truck just made a trip from Kansas to Maryland, about 1 ,200 miles. The old cars and trucks have some nice features, like this running board. You use it to step up into the cab. The old trucks sit higher on the road, so you need to step up. There's a 1953 Chevrolet pickup in today's book, Chevrolet Saturdays by Candy Dawson Boyd. In the book, a man named Frank Johnson was looking all over Berkeley, California for a truck just like this one, a 1953 Chevrolet pickup. He wanted it for his construction business, to haul building materials and tools. He had just married Ernestine Davis and had become stepfather to her son, Joey. Mr. Johnson felt sad that Joey ignored him, but he understood that Joey really wanted his natural father, Mr. Davis, and that Joey would rather talk on the phone with his father than talk with him. He gave Joey lots of space. He

was glad that at least Joey liked Josie, his dog. Josie had been with Mr. Johnson for many years. Mr. Johnson didn't really understand how upset Joey was over his parents' divorce. He didn't understand how badly Joey was doing in school, and that Joey was quarreling with his best friend. Joey had actually stolen something. It was just a package of cupcakes, but it was stealing just the same. Son, you're still there. Sure, Daddy. I know that you have to interview, but I don't want you to move. I want you to be proud of me, son. Joey protested, but I am proud of you, Daddy. Son, I haven't got the job yet, and if I do get it, I won't be living here forever. You'll be able to find out and see me whenever you want. When will you know, Daddy? I did end of the week. I've got to go now. I've got tons of material to read for the next round of interviews. Wish me luck. Kiss your mother for me. Well, um, how are you doing in school?

Everything going okay? Sure, Daddy. No problems at all. Everything's great. That's my boy. Talk to you soon. The buzzing of the dead line told Joey that the conversation was over. Tears wailed in his eyes. Joey gramped his jacket and ran upstairs to his room. He collapsed on the bed. Minutes later, he heard a soft, plop, plop sound. Raising his head, he saw Josie sitting by the door. So what are you doing in here? Feeling deserted too? Josie lowered herself and placed her head on her front paws. You look as pitiful as me. Josie, what are we going to do? Nobody treats us like they're supposed to, not Mama, not Daddy, and for you, not Mr. Johnson. Saturday night was a... You media coordinators might want to make your guidance counselors aware of this one. It could go a long way toward helping a troubled student. Okay, just one more thing. This year, for the first time in a while, we'll air a special preview week

of a selection of the newest series available. Just record the week of December, two through six, between the hours of four and six. The four and six AM. These will be the preview programs which represent just over 25 new series. They are for preview only on a not meant to be used with your students in a classroom setting. In the winter of school television update, we will include a ballot with a list of the series delivered on the preview schedule. We ask that the media coordinators duplicate the ballot and arrange for your teachers to preview the series and then to check off those which will support their classroom instruction. At the end of February, we ask that you return them so that we can tally them. For those series in which interest is expressed, we will submit a curriculum specialist. We will submit them to a curriculum specialist for review and evaluation. To ensure that these series meet the needs of the classroom teacher, we wish to have as much input from them as

possible and we look forward to learning from you. Have a great school year, oh, and don't forget this year's multi -media festival entries or due before our Christmas holidays, December the 19th. See your media coordinators for entry forms. Good day. Thank you so much for joining us and do remember Alfred Horn's words. The first thing that education does is to teach you to walk alone. Thank you so

much. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.