Ready to Learn Programming

Ready to Learn Programming supports the development of educational television and digital media targeted at preschool and early elementary school children and their families. Its general goal is to promote early learning and school readiness, with a particular interest in reaching low-income children. In addition to creating television and other media products, the program supports activities intended to promote national distribution of the programming, effective educational uses of the programming, community-based outreach, and research on educational effectiveness.

The RTL Programming competition is typically held every five years and the next competition will likely take place in 2025.

What's New

ED Games Expo Features RTL Grantee

Have you ever wondered what it takes for a Ready to Learn grantee to create an educational game for young children?  As part of this year's all-virtual ED Games Expo (June 1-5, 2021), WGBH and PBS Kids, the producers of the Ruff Ruffman TV show and digital games, have created a short video entitled "How the Learning Game Was Made" that will be broadcast at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 2.  To see the full story, click here.

Ready to Learn Announces $29 Million for Television and Digital Media Focusing on Career Awareness Among Early Learners

The U.S. Department of Education's Ready to Learn program announced today two grant awards totaling $29 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Twin Cities Public Television for the development of educational television and digital media programs that will engage preschool and young elementary school children and their families.

The awards, made through the Ready to Learn Programming grant competition, support the creation of television shows, games, websites and apps for young children and families to play and explore, with a particular focus on developmentally appropriate career options and functional literacy, or using language in different contexts. The grantees—two award-winning public telecommunications entities—will create TV and digital experiences for children that teach the content and skills needed to succeed in elementary school, and they will work with independent evaluators to conduct studies of their effectiveness.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in partnership with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), will develop educational media content focusing on functional literacy skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and workplace skills. In Wombats!, which will be produced by WGBH Boston, preschoolers will learn critical thinking and collaboration skills by following the adventures of three marsupial siblings as they explore their "Treeborhood." In Liza Loops, produced by Dave Peth, an Emmy Award winner for Peg+Cat, 5-6 year old children will encounter sociable city kid Liza, an inspiring inventor, and her fuzzy blue sidekick Stu as they invent solutions to problems they find in their urban neighborhood.   As part of the grant, CPB and PBS will also work with additional partners to produce another literacy-themed TV show, to create a variety of interactive media and podcasts, and to manage community-based programs at 40 PBS member stations.

Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) will partner with Oasis Animation to create and distribute nationally in English and Spanish a new educational TV program called Mashopolis. By exploring the fictional city of Mashopolis, which is always under construction, young children ages 5-8 will learn about all the jobs necessary to build the city and keep it going. Along the way, they will develop Executive Functioning (EF) skills such as collaboration, decision-making, and problem-solving. TPT will work with additional partners to develop learning games and other digital media, and to implement community-based outreach programs across the country.

Today's awards build upon the successful 2015 Ready to Learn competition, which facilitated the launch of the Peabody-award winning show, Molly of Denali, produced by WGBH under a grant to CPB, and Hero Elementary, produced by TPT and Portfolio Entertainment under a grant to TPT. Both grantees are past winners of Peabody and regional and national Emmy awards for their children's programming.

The grantees and award amounts for the first of five years of funding are below; additional years of funding are contingent on Congressional appropriations:

Corporation for Public Broadcasting     $24,322,018     Washington, D.C.

Twin Cities Public Television                  $4,619,883      St. Paul, Minnesota

New Report on Ready to Learn Television by the Center on Media and Human Development

A new report entitled "The Ready to Learn Program: 2010-2015 Policy Brief" has been released by the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University to provide an overview of the research findings coming out of the Ready to Learn grantees' efforts to innovate with educational "transmedia" to teach math to young children, ages 2-8.

Journal of Children and Media Publishes Special Section on Ready to Learn Television

The latest issue of The Journal of Children and Media (Volume 10, Issue 2) includes a special section entitled "Transmedia in the Service of Education" that collects six papers by grantees and evaluators of the U.S. Department of Education's Ready to Learn Television program from 2010-2015. In this special section, guest edited by Shalom Fisch, the authors describe their experiences using television and interactive digital media to teach math skills to young children, ages 2-8. These papers can be found in the issue's "commentaries" section and are available for free download during the month of April 2016.

Research Studies by Ready to Learn Grantees (2010-2015)

This document collects all of the key research studies produced by Ready to Learn grantees during the recently concluded grant cycle (2010-2015) focusing on the use of transmedia to teach math and literacy.

2015 New Awards Announced!

On September 3, 2015, the Department announced two new award winners in the 2015 Ready-to-Learn Television grant competition. The awards were announced at the Strategy Roundtable, co-hosted by the Office of Early Learning and the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. For more information about these awards, please visit the press release and Awards section.

CPB-PBS Ready To Learn Initiative 2015-2020

• CPB-PBS Ready To Learn Initiative 2015-2020 Portal in PBS Learning Media: pbslearningmedia.org/collection/rtl2015/
• Molly of Denali Collection: Features teaching resources for educators and home connections for families, in English and Spanish https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/molly-of-denali-resources/
• Elinor Wonders Why Collection: Features teaching resources for educators and home connections for families, in English and Spanish https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/elinor-wonders-why/
• Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That Collection: Features teaching resources for educators and home connections for families, in English and Spanish https://ww.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/rtl-catinthehat/
• Ready Jet Go Collection: Features teaching resources for educators and home connections for families, in English and Spanish https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/rtl-readyjetgo/
• The Ruff Ruffman Show Collection: Features teaching resources for educators and home connections for families, in English and Spanish https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/rtl-ruffruffman/
• PBS KIDS ScratchJr Collection: Features Educator Coding Workshop, Lesson Plans, Supplemental Resources https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/pbs-kids-scratchjr/

CPB-PBS Ready To Learn Initiative 2020-2025

• CPB-PBS Ready To Learn Initiative 2020-2025: Joint CPB-PBS Announcement of New RTL Grant from U.S. Department of Education https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/cpb-and-pbs-awarded-ready-to-learn-grant-from-the-us-department-of-education/
• CPB-PBS Ready to Learn Brochure 2023-2024

TPT 2015-2020 Resources:

• Information and Resources for Parents: https://www.pbs.org/parents/shows/hero-elementary
• Information and Resources for Educators: https://tpt.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/hero-elementary/
• Research Information: https://readytolearn.tpt.org/
• Games and TV for Children:
• http://pbskids.org/heroelementary/
• https://heroelementary.org

Eligible Applicants: To be eligible to receive a Ready-to-Learn Programming grant, an entity shall be a public telecommunications entity (see below) that is able to demonstrate each of the following:

(A) A capacity for the development and national distribution of educational and instructional television programming of high quality that is accessible by a large majority of disadvantaged preschool and elementary school children.
(B) A capacity to contract with the producers of children's television programming for the purpose of developing educational television programming of high quality.
(C) A capacity, consistent with the entity's mission and nonprofit nature, to negotiate such contracts in a manner that returns to the entity an appropriate share of any ancillary income from sales of any program-related products.
(D) A capacity to localize programming and materials to meet specific State and local needs and to provide educational outreach at the local level.

Public Telecommunications Entity: A public telecommunications entity is any enterprise which (a) is a public broadcast station or a noncommercial telecommunications entity; and (b) disseminates public telecommunications services to the public. This definition has been established in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).

Included in the chart below is the amount of funding per fiscal year since FY 2009.

Legislation

SEC. 4643. [20 U.S.C. 7293] READY TO LEARN PROGRAMMING.

1. AWARDS TO PROMOTE SCHOOL READINESS THROUGH READY TO LEARN PROGRAMMING.—
   1. IN GENERAL.—Awards made to eligible entities described in paragraph (3) to fulfill the purpose described in section 4641(a)(2) shall—
      1. be known as ''Ready to Learn Programming awards''; and
      2. be used to—
         1. develop, produce, and distribute accessible educational and instructional video programming for preschool and elementary school children and their parents in order to facilitate student academic achievement;
         2. facilitate the development, directly or through contracts with producers of children's and family educational television programming, of educational programming for preschool and elementary school children, and the accompanying support materials and services that promote the effective use of such programming;
         3. facilitate the development of programming and digital content containing Ready-to-Learn programming and resources for parents and caregivers that is specially designed for nationwide distribution over public television stations' digital broadcasting channels and the Internet;
         4. contract with entities (such as public telecommunications entities) so that programming developed under this section is disseminated and distributed to the widest possible audience appropriate to be served by the programming, and through the use of the most appropriate distribution technologies; and
         5. develop and disseminate education and training materials, including interactive programs and programs adaptable to distance learning technologies, that are designed—
            1. to promote school readiness; and
            2. to promote the effective use of materials developed under clauses (ii) and (iii) among parents, family members, teachers, principals and other school leaders, Head Start providers, providers of family literacy services, child care providers, early childhood educators, elementary school teachers, public libraries, and after-school program personnel caring for preschool and elementary school children.
   2. AVAILABILITY.—In awarding or entering into grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that eligible entities described in paragraph (3) make programming widely available, with support materials as appropriate, to young children, parents, child care workers, Head Start providers, and providers of family literacy services to increase the effective use of such programming.
   3. ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section, an entity shall be a public telecommunications entity that is able to demonstrate each of the following:
      1. A capacity for the development and national distribution of educational and instructional television programming of high quality that is accessible by a large majority of disadvantaged preschool and elementary school children.
      2. A capacity to contract with the producers of children's television programming for the purpose of developing educational television programming of high quality.
      3. A capacity, consistent with the entity's mission and nonprofit nature, to negotiate such contracts in a manner that returns to the entity an appropriate share of any ancillary income from sales of any program-related products.
      4. A capacity to localize programming and materials to meet specific State and local needs and to provide educational outreach at the local level.
   4. COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES - An entity receiving a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section shall consult with the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services—
      1.  
         1. to maximize the use of high-quality educational programming by preschool and elementary school children, and make such programming widely available to Federally funded programs serving such populations; and
         2. to coordinate activities with Federal programs that have major training components for early childhood development, including programs under the Head Start Act (42COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.—An entity receiving a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section shall consult with the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services— U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) and State training activities funded under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), regarding the availability and utilization of materials developed under paragraph (1)(B)(v) to enhance parent and child care provider skills in early childhood development and education.
      2. APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may reasonably require. The application shall include—
         1. a description of the activities to be carried out under this section;
         2. a list of the types of entities with which such entity will enter into contracts under subsection (a)(1)(B)(iv);
         3. a description of the activities the entity will undertake widely to disseminate the content developed under this section; and
         4. a description of how the entity will comply with subsection (a)(2).
      3. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.—
         1. ANNUAL REPORT TO SECRETARY.—An entity receiving a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an annual report. The report shall describe the program activities undertaken with funds received under the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, including each of the following:
            1. The programming that has been developed, directly or indirectly, by the eligible entity, and the target population of the programming.
            2. The support and training materials that have been developed to accompany the programming, and the method by which the materials are distributed to consumers and users of the programming.
            3. The means by which programming developed under this section has been distributed, including the distance learning technologies that have been utilized to make programming available, and the geographic distribution achieved through such technologies.
            4. The initiatives undertaken by the entity to develop public-private partnerships to secure non-Federal support for the development, distribution, and broadcast of educational and instructional programming.
         2. REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a biannual report that includes the following:
            1. A summary of the activities assisted under subsection (a).
            2. A description of the education and training materials made available under subsection (a)(1)(B)(v), the manner in which outreach has been conducted to inform parents and child care providers of the availability of such materials, and the manner in which such materials have been distributed in accordance with such subsection.
      4. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An entity that receives a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section may use up to 5 percent of the amount received under the grant, contract, or agreement for the normal and customary expenses of administering the grant, contract, or agreement.
      5. FUNDING RULE.—Not less than 60 percent of the amount used by the Secretary to carry out this section for each fiscal year shall be used to carry out activities under clauses (ii) through (iv) of subsection (a)(1)(B).

Regulations

EDGAR

Included below is information regarding the new awards made in each fiscal year since FY 2010.

Note: Documents coming soon are marked with a dash.

FY 2020 Ready to Learn Programming Competition Announcement

On March 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education published in the Federal Register the Notice Inviting Applications to the Ready to Learn Programming competition.

On May 7, 2020, a notice (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/05/07/2020-09799/extension-of-the-application-deadline-date-applications-for-new-awards-ready-to-learn-programming) was published extending the application deadline by one month, from May 15, 2020 to June 15, 2020. The notice has also extended the deadline for the Notice of Intent to Apply and Intergovernmental Review.

Call for Peer Reviewers

We are seeking reviewers for the RTL competition. Persons who are not involved in an application to the competition may volunteer to be a peer reviewer. We are seeking individuals with expertise in early learning, children's media and technology, and educational research. Please read the "Call for Peer Reviewers" for additional details on how to apply here.

Timeline for the FY 2020 Ready to Learn Competition

As a consequence of the extension notice published in the Federal Register on May 7, 2020, the following deadlines are now in effect:

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 15, 2020

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 15, 2020

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 14, 2020

Application Materials for the Ready to Learn Competition

Applicants to Ready to Learn will apply electronically using Workspace in Grants.gov. Please consult the instructions in the Ready to Learn Application Package.

Please note that Grants.gov has relaxed the requirement for applicants to have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) in order to apply for funding during the COVID-19 pandemic. An applicant that does not have an active SAM registration can still register with Grants.gov, but must contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll-free, at 1-800-518-4726, in order to take advantage of the flexibility.

Who May Apply

Only public telecommunications entities may apply. As defined in the NIA, public telecommunications entity means any enterprise which (a) is a public broadcast station or a noncommercial telecommunications entity; and (b) disseminates public telecommunications services to the public. Please consult the NIA for additional eligibility requirements.

Notice of Intent to Apply

Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the Department of intent to submit an application for funding under the Ready to Learn Programming competition. Please note that an entity that submits a notice of intent to apply is not obligated to apply for an RTL grant, nor is it bound to the information provided in its notice of intent to apply. The requested deadline for the Notice of Intent to Apply is May 15, 2020: Applicants may use this form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8WFHQXT

Alternatively, applicants may send an e-mail to ReadytoLearn@ed.gov indicating the name of the public telecommunications entity that intends to apply, the invitational priority that will be addressed, and the names of the key partners in the proposed project.

Pre-Application Informational Recording

Ready to Learn staff have prepared this webinar recording to help potential applicants understand the Notice Inviting Applications and Application Package: Webinar recording/PowerPoint.

FAQs

This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is intended to address some of the most commonly asked questions about the RTL competition. This list of FAQs may be periodically updated before the deadline. If you have additional questions, please send an e-mail to Readytolearn@ed.gov. However, Ready to Learn staff cannot answer questions that are particular to a specific application.