Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Support National Launch of Award-Winning KCET Series 'A Place of Our Own' and 'Los Ninos en Su Casa'

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Support National Launch of Award-Winning KCET Series 'A Place of Our Own' and 'Los Ninos en Su Casa'

WASHINGTON and LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) today announced that it is awarding a $3.8 million grant to public television station KCET in Los Angeles to support the national launch of KCET's Peabody award-winning series for parents, grandparents and caregivers of preschool age children, A Place of Our Own and Los Ninos en Su Casa. The series will be offered to PBS member stations nationwide beginning in 2007.

A Place of Our Own and its Emmy-Award winning Spanish-language companion Los Ninos en Su Casa were developed for parents and caregivers of young children. Kindergarten teachers estimate that one in three children is unprepared for the challenges of school. The series addresses this need by providing those who care for young children with information about helping young children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills.

The CPB grant provides $1 million a year for the next three years for production of seasons three, four and five. The grant also includes an additional $400,000 for each of the next two years to expand the series' outreach efforts.

"For nearly forty years, public television has been at the forefront of preparing young children for school," said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. "By focusing on the diverse challenges facing parents and caregivers today, A Place of Our Own and Los Ninos en Su Casa will help give them the skills they need to ensure the successful development of children in communities throughout the United States. CPB is pleased to be able to support the national distribution of these innovative, high-impact programs."

"KCET is extremely pleased that CPB supports the national launch of A Place of Our Own and Los Ninos en Su Casa," said Al Jerome, President and CEO of KCET. "Caregivers and parents throughout California have prepared thousands of young children for kindergarten as result of the daily series and their extensive outreach programs. CPB's grant greatly contributes to the national expansion of these efforts."

About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting:

CPB, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,000 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related on-line services.

About the Series:

A Place of Our Own and Los Ninos en Su Casa are produced as part of KCEd(TM), the education initiative at KCET. Since the series launch, viewing studies conducted have shown that 80 percent of participants report increased knowledge in tested areas such as managing aggressive child behavior, sharing and the importance of learning through play, as well as changes in their own attitudes and behavior as childcare providers.

A Place of Our Own and Los Ninos en Su Casa are produced by KCET, in association with 44 Blue Productions Inc. The series are produced in association with Sesame Workshop. Stephanie Drachkovitch and Mary Mazur are executive producers. Joyce Campbell is executive in charge of production.

Funding for the series is also provided through generous grants from BP, First 5 California, and First 5 LA.

About KCET:

KCET, the West Coast flagship station of PBS, is public television for southern and central California. KCET is watched by four million viewers a week in 11 counties, the largest broadcast reach of any public television station in the United States. The station also serves as a content provider for national and regional PBS member stations.

Throughout its more than 40-year history, KCET has garnered hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, and its outreach and community services. Series produced from the station's Hollywood studios include Life & Times, California Connected, Tavis Smiley and A Place of Our Own/Los Ninos en Su Casa.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Corporation for Public Broadcasting

CONTACT: Michael Levy, Corporate and Public Affairs of Corporation for
Public Broadcasting, +1-202-879-9758, press@cpb.org; or Cathy Williams of
KCET, +1-323-953-5243, cwilliams@kcet.org

Web site: http://www.cpb.org/

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