A Place of Our Own & Los Ninos en Su Casa Offer Daily Advice on Raising Pre-School Age Children

A Place of Our Own & Los Ninos en Su Casa Offer Daily Advice on Raising Pre-School Age Children

Award-Winning PBS Series Airs in English & Spanish Formats

LOS ANGELES, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Parents and caregivers looking for advice on how to raise happy and healthy pre-schoolers ready to enter their first day of school can now find help on the award-winning bilingual information series A Place of Our Own and Los Ninos en Su Casa airing daily on many PBS stations nationally.

The informational series provides English and Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers with practical advice on raising children who are socially, emotionally and physically ready to enter and succeed in school. The series is the first of its kind to air in both English and Spanish-language formats.

Produced by KCET/Los Angeles, the series has aired on PBS stations throughout California since 2005 and will now be available to all PBS stations. The programs are funded through the generous support of BP, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and First 5 California.

"Research confirms that these programs are providing important information to parents, grandparents, and caregivers of young children. We are very pleased to expand our audience nationally through the PBS system, as well as through our websites and educational workshops," said Al Jerome, President and CEO of KCET.

Kindergarten teachers estimate that one in three children are unprepared for the challenges of school. The series responds to this need by providing parents and childcare providers with information about helping young children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills.

Topics include all aspects of early childhood development, from health and nutrition, to developmental milestones and early identification of special needs. The programs target pre-school learning by addressing early pre-literacy, math, science, and diversity recognition skills.

A Place of Our Own and Los Ninos en Su Casa address viewers' everyday concerns such as sharing, biting and potty training and highlights the importance of the "Circle of Care," building a partnership among parents, childcare providers, pediatricians, and teachers.

Debi Gutierrez, host of A Place of Our Own, and Alina Rosario, host of Los Ninos en Su Casa, provide fun and engaging half-hour episodes with parents and caregivers who provide insight on how to raise smart, healthy and happy children. The series also illustrates exemplary childcare, with segments shot in homes and preschool centers, and demonstrates everyday activities to engage children in learning through play.

The programs are accompanied by extensive bilingual websites and hands-on workshops. Searchable by topic, information is available 24/7 at www.aplaceofourown.org and www.losninosensucasa.org, including resource links and message boards fully moderated by experts that enable childcare providers to interact with one another. In addition, workshops present topics and activities that reinforce messages delivered during the series and provide opportunity to put the information to practical use.

The series has been honored with numerous awards, including the 2006 Peabody Award, considered the most selective and prestigious in the electronic media industries, and a Parents' Choice award for both the series and website.

The series is produced as part of KCEd(TM), the education initiative at KCET. Since the series launch, viewing studies indicate that 80 per cent 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 is produced in association with Sesame Workshop. Stephanie Drachkovitch and Mary Mazur are executive producers. Joyce Campbell is executive in charge of production.

Please check local listings for air times in each market.

Source: KCET - A Place of Our Own

CONTACT: Laurel Lambert of KCET, +1-323-953-5246; or Victoria Portugal
of VPE PR, +1-626-403-3200, ext. 221, for A Place of Our Own

Web site:

http://www.aplaceofourown.org/
http://www.losninosensucasa.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Downloadable images are available at: http://www.kcet.org/about/press-room/press-kits.php.

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