MAYOR DE BLASIO AND CHANCELLOR CARRANZA ANNOUNCE “LET’S LEARN NYC!,” A NEW TELEVISION PROGRAM FROM WNET TO SUPPORT REMOTE LEARNING

Beginning Monday, May 4, the new educational public television program for young learners will air weekdays at 11:00AM EST on THIRTEEN

  Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza 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 (DOE) featuring lessons for children in 3K through second grade that will supplement remote learning.

“We’re doing everything we can to make this unprecedented situation a little brighter for our youngest New Yorkers. This partnership will bring entertaining educational opportunities directly to homes across New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.  

"As our city's students continue their education at home, it is more important than ever that we keep them engaged, inspired to learn, and supported," said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “This new partnership will provide young New Yorkers and their families with a fun, new way to learn. We are grateful to our partners at WNET for helping us bring additional educational programming to children across the city." 

“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!”

“Our educational mission is central to who we are,” said Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of the WNET Group. “We are proud to partner with the NYCDOE to bring quality educational programming to kids at home. This program is our way of supporting our community during this challenging time in our city and country’s history.”

School buildings are closed, but across the city, families and educators are working tirelessly 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. 

“We’re proud to launch this new partnership with funding provided by caring donors who have stepped up to ensure the well-being and continued learning of our 1.1 million students,” said Julie L. Shapiro, Chief Executive Officer of the Fund for Public Schools. “This daily broadcast will bring joy into the homes of many of our families, while providing high-quality programming that will reinforce foundational literacy skills for our youngest learners. Tune in, and Let’s Learn NYC!”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired New York’s parents and educators to get creative to keep children engaged in learning while they are outside of the classroom,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa.  “By bringing educational programing directly into homes, WNET is making it more accessible and even easier for children to participate.  I truly hope students take advantage of this remarkable opportunity.”