The American Honda Foundation awarded PBS SoCal a $75,000 grant to expand its Ready To Learn initiative, which uses educational content to prepare kids for school. The funding will allow PBS SoCal to expand Family Science Night events, Mobile Lab outreach, and provide STEM toolkits to various community partners serving underserved communities. The grant supports PBS SoCal's commitment to introducing kids to entertaining and educational resources to foster a love of learning from an early age.

1. PBS SoCal KOCE Awarded $75,000 Grant for Education Outreach
from the American Honda Foundation
pbssocal.org/press/pbs-socal-koce-awarded-75000-grant-education-outreach-american-honda-foundation/
LOS ANGELES, Calif., December 13, 2016 – Long-time supporter the American Honda Foundation awarded PBS
SoCal a $75,000 grant to expand its educational outreach in underserved Southern California communities. The
funding will further PBS SoCal’s Ready To Learn initiative, which uses educational PBS KIDS content and STEM
resources to help prepare kids for school and life.
“Core to our mission is to foster a love of learning from an early age. Our Ready To Learn initiative allows us to do
so by meeting the children in our community and introducing them to entertaining and educational resources,” said
Jamie Myers, PBS SoCal’s COO and VP of Education & Community Outreach. “With the generous multi-year
support from the American Honda Foundation we are able to continue our 45-year commitment to serving this
community through unique educational experiences.”
The American Honda Foundation grant made an immediate impact, allowing PBS SoCal to expand its Family
Science Nights. Most recently, kids and parents in Compton attended Family Science Night events where they used
creative play to learn core coding concepts by creating their own interactive stories and games using PBS KIDS
characters.
Also thanks to the American Honda Foundation, PBS SoCal’s Mobile Lab will expand with additional iPads to serve
even more preschoolers and kindergarteners by traveling to events and partner sites across the region. Each
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2. Mobile Lab offers access to iPads loaded with educational apps that link familiar PBS KIDS characters with math
and science activities. Finally, the grant will also enable PBS SoCal to deliver backpacks equipped with curriculum-
based STEM toolkits to parents, caregivers, and educators through monthly workshops. Community partners who
will receive backpacks include CARECEN, Children’s Institute, Inc., PACE, Project Access, THINK Together, Boys &
Girls Club of Tustin , KidWorks, Santa Ana Public Library, Compton Unified School District – Foster Elementary, and
Carson Elementary School.
“Two persisting issues in STEM education in the U.S. are: 1) the lack of engaging children early in STEM and 2)
early childhood educators not possessing the confidence and resources to do so. PBS SoCal addresses both by
providing fun and enriching STEM curriculum that equips early childhood professionals with what they need to
create hands-on, minds-on learning environments,” said Nichole Whitley, Program Officer for the American Honda
Foundation. “Like PBS SoCal, the American Honda Foundation believes that every child regardless of their socio-
economic background deserves an equal opportunity to rise to their full potential and it’s imperative that we support
programs that make high-quality math and science education accessible to underserved children that need it most.”
About The American Honda Foundation
Established in 1984, the American Honda Foundation (AHF) makes grants to non-profit organizations that benefit
the people of the United States in the areas of youth and scientific education, with a specific focus on STEM
(science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment. AHF engages in
grantmaking that reflects the basic tenets, beliefs and philosophies of Honda companies, which are characterized by
the following qualities: imaginative, creative, youthful, forward-thinking, scientific, humanistic and innovative. Since
its inception, more than $37 million has been awarded to organizations serving approximately 117 million people in
every state in the U.S.
About PBS SoCal KOCE
PBS SoCal is the home to PBS for Greater Los Angeles and Southern California. We deliver the full schedule of
PBS programs, plus content that is for, about and by the people of Southern California. Our content is available free
through three broadcast channels, at pbssocal.org, on our mobile apps, and via connected TV services. And we
provide the community with early education resources and cultural and educational experiences through
partnerships, events and grassroots outreach. PBS SoCal has offices in Century City, Costa Mesa, and Los
Angeles. Connect with us at pbssocal.org and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.
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Media Contacts:
Jennifer Vides
(310) 803-9008
JVides@pbssocal.org
Stacy Shaffer
(714) 241-4166
SShaffer@pbssocal.org
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