December 2020
Education
'Family Night: Coding' introduces families to computer coding skills
To celebrate Computer Science Education Week, the Pennsylvania PBS stations broadcast 'Family Night: Coding,' a television special intended to introduce families to computer coding skills and careers.

This hour-long special was designed to encourage children, kindergarten through fifth grade, and their families to get excited about computer science together. No computer or special materials are needed to learn from this special. Computer science is a growing field that impacts the world in countless ways and a large part of computer science is computer coding.

“It is essential for Pennsylvania’s learners to have access to computer science early on in their education” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega.

Family Night: Coding premiered on December 10th, and it's now available to watch on our website.
“Programs like ‘Family Night: Coding’ create opportunities for families to experience all of the exciting things computer science has to offer and help to prepare a new generation of commonwealth residents for the jobs of tomorrow.”

-Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega
WQED expands Support Our Schools program after receiving funding
WQED recently received $10,000 from the Whitt Family Foundation to support the Support Our Schools program that it launched this school year. Cathy Cook, WQED's Director of Education Projects, says the funding will be used to expand the program in three ways:

  • WQED Education will be matching career standards and career exploration pieces to each grade band to help students and teachers meet the Pennsylvania Career Standards.
  • The station will also create grab and go kits that can go along with the activities for each grade band as a supplement to the SOS lessons.
  • A Professional Development session will be created as a resource to educators on how to best maximize using SOS with students and to help make this resource as user friendly as possible.

WQED SOS was developed in collaboration with local teachers and school districts to be a bridge that gives Pennsylvania schools two weeks of educational content to share with their students if in-person instruction is disrupted. Each grade level grouping has a printable packet for 10 days of lessons, including reading material, resources, and assignments that are aligned with Pennsylvania Learning Standards.
WVIA distributes Stress Helper Grab and Go Bags aimed at connecting students and families to stress coping information and activities
The pandemic has caused stress for many, including students and their families. WVIA, the regional Intermediate Units, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education are helping them deal with this stress by distributing thousands of Stress Helper Grab and Go Bags.

WVIA aligned social emotional learning based programming with resources in the bags. The Stress Helper Grab and Go Bags hold content and resources aimed at connection families and children with social emotional learning skills and information and activities focused on skills to help cope with stress.

Whether it’s the stress ball that helps calm an anxious mind, or the colored pencils which provide a quiet outlet for creativity and reflection, items in the bag are specifically chosen to help relieve stress and increase focus.
Learning At Home Schedules
A new year is almost here and Learning At Home is ready! Working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania PBS will continue to provide these educational videos and activities to support Pennsylvania students, teachers and families.

The January Learning At Home schedule is available in English and Spanish on our website.
January Schedule
To see the full schedules, click on the images!
Join us every weekday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on your local PA PBS station!
Holiday Programming
Get in the holiday spirit with your local Pennsylvania PBS station! There are a variety of holiday specials offered on both television and radio. Click below to find out what's playing.
Happy Holidays from Pennsylvania PBS!
Pennsylvania PBS - Who We Are

Pennsylvania PBS (PA PBS) is the collective name for seven public media organizations located throughout the Commonwealth.


Our Vision

Inspired and empowered by its partners, Pennsylvania PBS will be a keystone in the civic, educational and cultural fabric of the Commonwealth.

Our Mission

To leverage, unify and amplify the education mission and collective impact of the 7 Pennsylvania PBS stations in the lives of all Pennsylvanians.

Pennsylvania PBS reaches over 12.4 million Pennsylvanians in large, diverse, rural and under-served communities.

Our Partners

PBS | NPR | APTS | 50 State