For many Colorado kids, back to school means tuning into classes virtually using online platforms. Soon the state will offer families another option for remote learning: television.
Starting Sept. 7, Rocky Mountain PBS will begin airing “Colorado Classroom: Learn with Me at Home,” a series of educational segments for students in kindergarten through third grade. The segments, slated for broadcast 8 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday, will be taught by licensed teachers and cover subjects such as science, math, reading and more.
“Colorado Classroom” is the product of a partnership between Rocky Mountain Public Media, Gov. Jared Polis, the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Education Initiative. The goal of the series, which is returning this fall after a debut in May, is not only to help supplement e-learning, but also to reach families where access to the internet is limited.
Officials estimate more than 65,000 Colorado children cannot connect to the internet while at home and about 53,000 lack a Wi-Fi-enabled device.
“Rocky Mountain Public Media considers this important learning program to be an extension of our educational mission in service to Colorado communities during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic,” said Amanda Mountain, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Public Media, in a statement. “Particularly for children who live in rural areas or in our cities who do not have consistent access to high-speed internet or computers at home, offering this complementary curriculum on our RMPBS broadcast channel ensures every child has a place to continue learning.”
“While many students are already back in class, other school districts haven’t begun in-person learning yet and we want to do everything we can to support Colorado students, teachers and parents as we navigate these challenges together,” Polis added in a statement.
The “Colorado Classroom” series begins on Labor Day and runs for 15 weeks on Rocky Mountain PBS stations in Denver (KRMA), Pueblo/Colorado Springs (KTSC), Steamboat Springs (KRMZ), Grand Junction (KRMJ) and Durango (KRMU). Lessons will also be available online at rmpbs.org/coloradoclassroom and rebroadcast from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. each morning for families that would like to record them.
Programs will be broadcast in English with Spanish subtitles.
Each week of learning will have a theme, such as space, art or animals, and every Friday, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science will lead families through an interactive science lesson as part of the curriculum.
All lessons include supplemental worksheets for children to apply what they’ve learned. Those are also available online. Families who lack internet access or a printer can stop by their local library to pick up materials without needing a library card. (Participating locations only.)
“Colorado Classroom: Learn with Me at Home” schedule
Lesson air from 8 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Each segment caters to a specific grade level, as follows:
This content was originally published here.
