CPB support national launch of ‘Los Ninos en Su Casa’.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced that it is awarding a $3.8 million grant to public television station KCET in Los Angeles to support the national launch of KCET’s Peabody award-winning series for parents, grandparents and caregivers of preschool age children, A Place of Our Own and Los Ninos en Su Casa. The series will be offered to PBS member stations nationwide beginning in 2007.

A Place of Our Own and its Emmy-Award winning Spanish-language companion Los Ninos en Su Casa were developed for parents and caregivers of young children. Kindergarten teachers estimate that one in three children is unprepared for the challenges of school. The series addresses this need by providing those who care for young children with information about helping young children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills.

The CPB grant provides $1 million a year for the next three years for production of seasons three, four and five. The grant also includes an additional $400,000 for each of the next two years to expand the series’ outreach efforts.

“For nearly forty years, public television has been at the forefront of preparing young children for school,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “By focusing on the diverse challenges facing parents and caregivers today, A Place of Our Own and Los Ninos en Su Casa will help give them the skills they need to ensure the successful development of children in communities throughout the United States. CPB is pleased to be able to support the national distribution of these innovative, high-impact programs.”