Yesterday, members of Maryland’s Congressional Delegation announced that Maryland Public Television will be awarded $100,000 in federal funding to develop personalized learning experiences for children in low-income communities.

Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s Ready to Learn (RTL) Grant Program, and will help MPT increase early learning opportunities through public media, provide children with diverse resources, and support families, caregivers, and educators.

From the press release:

“Maryland Public Television connects hundreds of thousands of Maryland families with educational programming in their homes and resources in their communities. As caregivers juggle the demands of distance learning, work, and child care during this pandemic, providing free and accessible educational tools is all the more important. This investment will help Maryland Public Television continue its efforts to enrich lives and expand opportunity for all of our children,” said the lawmakers.

The Ready to Learn grant funds:

• Creation of new educational media that promotes critical thinking, collaboration, and literacy
• Collaborations between local public media stations and community
• Broadcast television content that improves early learning skills and school readiness
• Production of short-form digital series, podcasts, games, mobile apps, virtual learning events for educators, at-home resources for parents, and other interactive educational experiences
• Broadcasting efforts to reach traditionally underserved communities – including more Hispanic, African American, Asian American, and Native American children, and more children from low-income households.

For more information, view the full press release, and visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Ready to Learn (RTL) Grant Program website.