For generations, families have turned to PBS KIDS® as a place they can trust for helping children prepare for school and the world beyond. Today, 91% of parents still agree that PBS is a trusted and safe source for children to watch television or play digital games and mobile apps.
As the nation’s leading educational media brand, PBS KIDS continues to innovate, helping young learners build essential skills through storytelling, play, and exploration. In fact, Carl the Collector, a recent addition to the PBS KIDS lineup, received two 2026 Children’s and Family Emmy® Awards.
From Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood to new favorites like Carl the Collector, PBS KIDS programs provide unique, research-based learning experiences that shape how kids learn and grow. An independent review of 45 studies, including nearly 25,000 children aged 2 to 8, found that PBS KIDS media and resources increased children's early literacy skills, such as letter recognition, vocabulary development, and sound awareness.
Besides just school readiness, PBS KIDS teaches curiosity, kindness, and problem-solving. It provides children with characters who reflect their own lives and experiences, helping them relate to the real world.
When it comes to modeling positive social and emotional behaviors, parents see PBS KIDS making a difference—88% say it helps build kinder humans for the future.
In a February 2026 interview with parents.com, Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager of PBS KIDS, said, “I think about where parents are sitting today, where so much content for kids is driven by algorithms or posted on platforms that don't have strong regulations around what is appropriate. So much is focused on keeping kids watching as long as possible and driving commercial intent. PBS KIDS puts kids at the center; we think about what is developmentally appropriate and how we can use these media tools to help them learn and understand the world around them.”
One thing PBS KIDS focuses on is accessibility, especially for children without access to high-speed internet.
“A critical piece of our strategy is keeping that over-the-air broadcast," said DeWitt. "We've worked really hard to have our free PBS KIDS app that can be used in and out of Wi-Fi. We focused on making sure it works on older devices, so kids with hand-me-down tablets can still access content. We've even worked to make sure the games degrade gracefully on older platforms.”
In 2025, federal decisions to cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and eliminate the Ready to Learn program raised questions about the future of children’s educational media. For decades, that funding helped support the beloved shows that shaped generations.
But despite those challenges, PBS KIDS isn’t going anywhere.
If anything, this moment has reinforced the crucial role of local stations like Nine PBS in serving their communities. Because at its core, the work is about more than television.
It’s about making sure every child, no matter their background, has the opportunity to learn, grow, and reach their full potential. It’s about giving families resources they can trust. And it’s about building a stronger, more connected community through education.
All of that is made possible by PBS KIDS.
Source: pbs.org/parents/about
Contributed by Gabrielle Lindemann