PBS Kids SUPER WHY Camp receives funding from the Arizona Department of Education

Arizona PBS Educational Outreach will receive a $961,000 grant from the Arizona Department of Education to fund an early literacy program for preschool-age children.

The money will be used for the public television station’s PBS Kids SUPER WHY Camp, an early literacy, evidence-based pre-kindergarten summer school transition program for 4- and 5-year-old students with little or no preschool experience in targeted low-income communities. The camp builds on the signature early literacy approach of the popular SUPER WHY television series, extending its unique interactive reading approach into the community.

“Helping a child learn to read is not just something I look forward to as a mother, but it is an obligation to our future that we must fulfill,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman. “Throughout the pandemic, my administration has been committed to improving literacy resources and support for Arizona’s children and these investments will help further that work.”

The SUPER WHY Camp is one of three programs that received funding from the Department of Education, along with the Valley of the Sun United Way and Childsplay AZ.

“We are so grateful to the Arizona Department of Education for this grant award that will allow Arizona PBS to further increase its efforts to equip the state’s five-year old’s with the educational and literacy skills needed to transition to kindergarten,” said Adrienne R. Fairwell, the station’s general manager. “Aligning with the most basic purpose of our organization, these efforts are achieved through interactive, fun, and engaging standards-aligned content through the PBS Kids SUPER WHY Camps, which aim to develop and build upon reading and vocabulary skills, thereby equipping early learners with the tools to be successful.”

These projects are funded with dollars from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and are part of Arizona’s ARP School and Community Grantees. All funded projects share the goal of supporting schools, students, educators, and families as they recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Arizona PBS Educational Outreach specializes in supporting educators and students in the classroom, and families at home by creating and connecting quality PBS educational content to national and common core state standards.  Today, Arizona PBS Educational Outreach provides digital resources and face-to-face community outreach throughout the state including innovative research-based workshops for early childhood.