With NYC schools remaining closed at least through September, preK-2 students citywide are in need of high-quality educational content that's easily accessible from their homes. While young New Yorkers are learning via the New York City Department of Education (DOE) online education program, keeping them engaged and excited about their education is a ongoing challenge in this time of isolation from teachers and classmates.
That's why Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, and The WNET Group announced the launch of Let’s Learn NYC!, a new educational public television program produced by The WNET Group in partnership with the New York City Department of Education featuring lessons for children in pre-K through second grade that will supplement remote learning.
“This new program will provide even more fun and innovative learning opportunities for students and families to engage with together,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “Every weekday, our youngest learners will be able to participate in story time, interactive lessons, and hands-on projects all from the safety and comfort of their own homes. We hope to see you there!”
School buildings are closed, but across the city, families and educators are working to ensure students continue their education. Episodes will air on weekdays at 11:00AM EST on THIRTEEN starting Monday, May 4 and will continue through the end of the school year. The episodes will also be available to livestream at thirteen.org/live.
Let’s Learn NYC! will be hosted by DOE instructional leaders and coaches with expertise in teaching young learners. Educators will film segments from their homes using their phones, tablets, or laptops, and send them to THIRTEEN to be edited, scheduled and aired. Programming will offer age-appropriate content that is aligned to standards and lessons for early childhood education and includes foundational reading skills, literacy, math, social studies, and science.
Literacy lessons will focus on foundational skills such as phonics and fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension, and writing. Each episode will include a “story time” that helps students connect the literacy instruction to important facets of their lives. Other content area lessons will focus on children having fun with numbers, discovering science, and finding out about the world around them. The broadcast will also include “Parenting Minutes,” short videos produced by The WNET Group with information on social-emotional and early childhood learning for families to use with their children.
Let’s Learn NYC! will be broadcast commercial-free on THIRTEEN, New York City’s PBS station, which is available for free to nearly all City residents. The program will also be available to livestream on the station’s website. Following each broadcast, each episode and supplemental learning materials will also be made available on schools.nyc.gov and thirteen.org/letslearn. Archived videos will include English and Spanish captions.
This program is made possible by the Fund for Public Schools’ NYC Schools COVID-19 Response Effort, enabling public-private partnerships to support school communities directly during this time.
