Beginning Jan. 16, new channel will offer curriculum-based children’s programs all day, every day
KERA, North Texas’ most trusted source of educational children’s programs, announces the launch of a new television channel offering kids’ shows 24 hours a day, seven days a week. KERA Kids 24/7 will provide free access to the popular, curriculum-based programs from PBS KIDS to millions of families across the region.
KERA’s acclaimed lineup of children’s programs, including Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Odd Squad and Wild Kratts, reach 350,000 kids each week, representing the second-largest children’s audience among public broadcasting stations in the United States. With the addition of KERA Kids 24/7, children across North Texas will have greater access to engaging educational content on weeknights and weekend afternoons, when the majority of kids’ TV viewing takes place.
KERA TV will continue to broadcast new episodes of PBS KIDS programs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every weekday. Beginning Monday, Jan. 16, children will be able to continue watching and learning after school and in the evenings by tuning in to KERA Kids 24/7, which will broadcast over-the-air on channel 13.2 and will be carried by select cable providers.
“Since its inception, public broadcasting has played a unique and important role for kids – it makes learning and development fun,” said Mary Anne Alhadeff, president and CEO of KERA. “We’re excited for this opportunity to provide a safe harbor that treats children like young minds, not young consumers, whenever they want to tune in.”
KERA’s over-the-air children’s programs are essential to homes without access to paid cable or satellite subscriptions, and often serve as the first classroom for low-income families. A recent study conducted by WestEd found that the programs and resources provided by public television can help narrow the math achievement gap for children from low-income families and better prepare them for kindergarten. By expanding its educational offerings through around-the-clock children’s programs, KERA will build on an already critical source of learning for kids and families in North Texas.
In addition to helping with core subjects like reading and math, KERA Kids programs also promote the key social skills necessary for school and for life. In a recent survey, public television led all networks in improving kids’ behavior, with 74 percent of parents saying their child exhibits more positive behavior after engaging with the programs from PBS KIDS.
Earlier in 2016, KERA updated its online children’s resources available at kerakids.org. The refreshed site offers on-demand programs, interactive games and additional content for kids, parents and educators. KERA also offers the bi-weekly Full STEAM Ahead e-newsletter, which features science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics programming.
KERA Kids 24/7 will broadcast over-the-air on channel 13.2, which currently airs KERA World. KERA World will no longer be available beginning Jan. 16. Spectrum Cable will offer KERA Kids 24/7 on channel 1268 in Dallas and 182 in Fort Worth.
In addition to broadcasting on television, KERA Kids 24/7 will be available for streaming onpbskids.org and on the PBS KIDS Video App, which is available on a variety of mobile devices and over-the-top platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One and Chromecast.
For more information about KERA’s educational children’s programming, visit kera.org.
ABOUT KERA
KERA is a not-for-profit public media organization serving North Texas through KERA TV, KERA Create, KERA Kids 24/7, KERA 90.1 and the Triple-A music station KXT 91.7 FM. For over 50 years, North Texans have turned to KERA as a vibrant destination for community engagement and lifelong learning. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources at www.kera.org.
