Each summer PBS member stations across the country engage in community outreach, partnerships and events in an effort to help kids keep learning even when they’re away from school. In fact, reporting stations indicate that they’ll reach over half a million kids and parents across the country during the summer through off-air activities like the distribution of PBS KIDS produced activity books, reading charts, bookmarks and other elements; special events held by stations and community partners; partnership activities with libraries, schools, camps and others; and much more.

This tremendous amount of activity means that the summer is a great time for stations to promote their local services to kids and families as well stakeholders and donors and to support station development efforts.

Nationally, PBS KIDS has established partnerships with Alamo Theaters, the Association of Children’s Museums, Reading is Fundamental, and Harper Collins Children’s Books to provide stations with content and opportunities they can leverage in local markets to extend the reach of their brand and the PBS KIDS content they carry.

Here are some ways stations can take advantage of PBS KIDS national partnerships and activities in local markets:

• Order and distribute the free PBS KIDS materials, including the PBS KIDS/Harper Collins I-Can-Readathon Kits, to local children.
• Promote the free PBS KIDS episodes offered through iTunes (release schedule posted to MyPBS).
• Use PBS KIDS social media posts and campaigns to engage kids and families in learning activities during the summer.
• Partner with local children’s museums to host hands-on summer learning activities or back-to-school events (contact PBS KIDS if you need help connecting with your local museum).
• Host a free local screening event for one of the PBS KIDS promotional priorities. Even if you’re not in a market with an Alamo theater, PBS KIDS will provide you with video for a local screening as well as links to reproducible activity sheets, character standee art, and premium items (as available) for your local event.

Additionally, summer’s a great time to establish new partnerships with local organizations. This year, nearly 100 member stations have shared their summer learning plans with PBS KIDS, and while many stations (75% of those reporting) have plans to partner with local government and non-profit organizations to support summer learning, nearly 40% of stations reported that they were planning to partner with local businesses or for-profit organizations such as local grocers, retailers, large employers, health care centers, and others. Supporting summer learning is a great way for organizations to signal their support for children in your community or the children of their employees, and you can leverage PBS KIDS content to build interesting local programs to help partners meet their cause marketing, philanthropic, or human resources objectives.

Finally, summer’s the perfect time to capture and share the unique value stations bring to the community. Events and partner programs are a great venue for collecting proof of performance material such as video, photos, testimonials and survey responses from kids, parents and partners about the value your station brings to the community. Many stations use these to feed into both immediate or near-term communications (social media, e-newsletters, member magazine articles) and longer-term communications needs (brand value spots, content for direct appeals, or year-end reports). Inviting members, donors and project funders to visit outreach projects or events is also a great way to share, first hand, the impact that your station has in the community and to help identify prospects for future appeals and project funding.

All in all, summertime is a great time to engage the public in your station’s work for children and families.

Summer Learning Initiative Press Release | Station Template Press Release | Summer Learning Initiative Assets

Jennifer English | Sr. Director, Partnerships & Station Relations, PBS KIDS | PBS