The RTL State Projects will expand the awareness and distribution of evidence-based RTL and partner resources, along with training for educators and parents to use these resources effectively to promote children’s early learning, especially in the RTL priority areas that promote key skills to success - functional everyday literacy, critical thinking (including computational thinking), collaboration, and World of Work knowledge and skills – with a focus on intergenerational learning.
Collaboration at the state level will also introduce new opportunities to scale evidence-based resources and to cultivate relationships that can advance and support RTL’s early childhood and engagement strategies into the future. Selected stations may choose to engage other public media stations within their state to support these efforts.
The stations selected through this RFP will join an existing group of State Projects which began their work in October 2022 (Austin PBS – Texas, Maryland Public Television – Maryland, PBS SoCal – California, PBS Wisconsin – Wisconsin, WFSU – Florida, WXXI – New York). The term will begin no earlier than April 1, 2024 and conclude no later than September 30, 2025 (contingent on the continuation of annual supplemental federal grant awards to CPB for the RTL program). During the first year of the contract, the selected stations will secure partnerships with state-level partners, develop draft and final Plans of Action for the Project period, and present their strategies during a virtual Idea Exchange with the full cohort of State Project stations and key RTL stakeholders. Selected stations will also engage in a community of practice with each other, CPB, PBS, and the RTL research team to support innovation and growth.
In order to be eligible to apply for funding, stations must currently be a CPB Community Service Grant recipient in good standing and have engaged in the following activities within the last five years:
• collaborated with state-level partners on education and engagement efforts;
• engaged low-income families with public media content and resources;
• utilized RTL content and resources in community settings; and,
• demonstrated a commitment by the station’s leadership and community partners in support of the activities above.
Applications will only be considered from stations in states that do not already have active RTL State Projects, and funding will be limited to up to one station within a state.
The RTL State Projects are funded through a Ready To Learn Programming grant by the U.S. Department of Education, for a grant project entitled, “Learn Together: Connecting Children's Media and Learning Environments to Build Key Skills for Success” (PR Award No. S295A200004/ CFDA No. 84.295A). The total amount of funds available for all 14 Learning Neighborhoods, contingent on a continuation of annual federal grant awards to CPB for the RTL program, is $168,000 (Year 1), and $1,190,000 (Year 2).
