WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $100,000 in federal funding for Maryland Public Television (MPT) to develop personalized learning experiences for children, especially those in low-income communities. Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Ready to Learn (RTL) Grant Program.

“Maryland Public Television connects hundreds of thousands of Maryland families with educational programming in their homes and resources in their communities. As caregivers juggle the demands of distance learning, work, and child care during this pandemic, providing free and accessible educational tools is all the more important. This investment will help Maryland Public Television continue its efforts to enrich lives and expand opportunity for all of our children,” said the lawmakers.

The Ready to Learn grant funds: 

• Creation of new educational media that promotes critical thinking, collaboration, and literacy
• Collaborations between local public media stations and community
• Broadcast television content that improves early learning skills and school readiness
• Production of short-form digital series, podcasts, games, mobile apps, virtual learning events for educators, at-home resources for parents, and other interactive educational experiences
• Broadcasting efforts to reach traditionally underserved communities – including more Hispanic, African American, Asian American, and Native American children, and more children from low-income households.

The RTL Grant Program helps enhance public commitment to early childhood learning and expand its support for low-income families. These funds will enable MPT to maintain a robust network of engagement partnerships to increase early learning opportunities through public media, provide children with diverse resources, and support families, caregivers, and educators.

###