ARLINGTON, Va., June 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PBS KIDS is launching season two of its popular interactive preschool destination featuring Miss Lori and Hooper on Monday, September 3, 2007 (check local listings). Produced in partnership with Out of the Blue Enterprises, the new season will introduce new curriculum themes and build upon the successful preschool format with more original music and kid-created content with Dot's Story Factory. A new literacy-based series, SUPER WHY!, from Out of the Blue Enterprises, joins the content line-up with top-ranked series CURIOUS GEORGE, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG and DRAGON TALES.
"PBS has a mission to educate and serve all of America's children. As partners in their development, we are excited to leverage our expertise and breakthroughs in children's television to help kids with school readiness by offering a preschool environment that every child can experience," said Lesli Rotenberg, SVP PBS KIDS Next Generation Media. "Additionally, based on research with parents, we incorporated new messages communicating the learning objectives of all the shows in the block along with extensive resources on pbsparents.org."
PBS KIDS is strengthening the preschool setting in season two with new age-appropriate curriculum themes presented in a structured format such as "Music Time," "Math Time," "Art Time," and "Reading Time." Using letters, shapes, colors and other elements designed to get kids involved and engaged, as well as familiar environmental elements such as smocks, easels, mini tables and chairs, books and more, children will feel like they have entered a real preschool each morning on PBS KIDS.
Throughout the block, other learning moments will focus on sharing and being healthy, such as eating healthy snacks and washing hands, and "Movin' and Groovin'." "DJ Hooper" will encourage kids to get up and dance with calypso, jazz, country and more. Additionally, famed kids composers Sandblast Music (Sesame Street) and Murmur Music (Blue's Clues) have created original music to be featured within the block for kids to enjoy.
"As partners with PBS in creating this unique learning environment, we want to build more interaction and engaging tools for children to interact and identify with," said Angela C. Santomero, Out of the Blue Co-Founder and Executive Producer and Creator of PBS KIDS new series, SUPER WHY!. "PBS continues to set the standard in educational, engaging content and we are thrilled to lend our expertise to the PBS KIDS preschool destination."
As part of the second season of the PBS KIDS preschool destination, PBS KIDS introduces Dot's Story Factory. Designed for preschoolers and their parents, Dot's Story Factory is an age-appropriate narrative tool that supports the development of storytelling skills, and allows the creation of compelling stories that will be shared online and spotlighted on television. At this age, preschoolers are learning that stories have a clear structure -- beginning, middle and end -- and specific elements. Dot's Story Factory supports kids' literacy development by helping them build a story online using slides, graphic stickers and characters. With the help of parents, children can add text and upload stories or submit through regular mail.
About SUPER WHY!
Joining the line-up of top-ranked series CURIOUS GEORGE, DRAGON TALES and CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG comes SUPER WHY! from Out of the Blue Enterprises. With a breakthrough interactive approach to reading education, classic fairytales with an innovative preschool twist and colorful and empowering young heroes, SUPER WHY! will captivate children, families and teachers alike when it bounds onto PBS KIDS on Labor Day, Monday, September 3, 2007 (check local listings) as part of the popular PBS KIDS preschool programming block.
This animated superhero series is designed to boost literacy skills through interactive fairytale adventures that encourage viewers to participate through entertaining and engaging games. Whyatt Beanstalk, younger brother of Jack from "Jack in the Beanstalk," and his three fairytale character friends transform into the "Super Readers," with special literacy-charged powers. The Super Readers jump into books to discover answers and find solutions to everyday preschooler questions and challenges. For more information, visit pbs.org/pressroom.
About the PBS KIDS Preschool Destination
PBS KIDS preschool destination launched in September 2006 as part of PBS KIDS Next Generation Media, an initiative to define the unique contribution public television can make in the changing digital children's media landscape. PBS KIDS Next Generation Media continues to engage in research with children, parents, teachers and caregivers and consultation with its advisory board of experts to aid in the development of the highest quality and most innovative educational and entertaining media experiences. The series within the preschool destination, including CURIOUS GEORGE, DRAGON TALES and CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, have continuously been ranked in the top 10 among kids 2-5 and moms.
About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, are committed to providing the highest quality non-commercial content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age- appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (http://www.pbskids.org/), PBS KIDS GO! online (http://www.pbskidsgo.org/), PBS Parents (http://www.pbsparents.org/), PBS TeacherSource (http://www.pbsteachersource.org/), PBS Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 355 public television stations, serving nearly 90 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.
About Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue is dedicated to developing a groundbreaking portfolio of individually-targeted children's entertainment properties under the direction of a proven management team led by Co-Founders Angela C. Santomero, a Creator of the preschool entertainment phenomenon, Blue's Clues, and Samantha Freeman Alpert, a children's entertainment industry and marketing veteran. The company creates breakthrough, interactive and curriculum-based entertainment concepts that span a variety of viable platforms, including television, video, publishing and consumer products. In doing so, Out of the Blue stimulates the minds of kids and families, involves them in fresh and original ways and elevates their educational entertainment experiences to a whole new level.
PBS
CONTACT: Jill Corderman, +1-703-739-5788, jcorderman@pbs.org, or Alan
Winnikoff, +1-212-679-2982, alan@sayleswinnikoff.com, or Carina Sayles,
+1-609-397-6200, carina@sayleswinnikoff.com, all of PBS
Web site: http://www.pbskids.org/
