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Parents and Caregivers
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Find resources for parents and caregivers here! Jump start family learning with tips on how to make the most of family television time, advice on fostering reading skills, and the exploration of other issues that are important to families.


WNED PBS KIDS Channel

The 24/7 WNED PBS KIDS channel is on-air and online now! Featuring all of the high-quality commercial-free educational shows parents, families, and caretakers have relied on for decades, the new channel is available for free on-air and online anytime.

A n adult sitting with a child who is watching an educational video on a tablet

Ready to Learn

Buffalo Toronto Public Media has partnered with EPIC - Every Person Influences Children and Northland Workforce Training Center to develop a Learning Neighborhood in Buffalo. A Learning Neighborhood is group of partners, including a local PBS station, that are acutely focused on the early learning needs of children and their families. Together, they foster a community-wide culture that promotes a “Learn Together” theme and empowers children and adults to learn anytime, anywhere – at home, in the neighborhood, and within local systems and spaces

Building Blocks for Learning

Immigrant and refugee parents and caregivers experience added school readiness anxiety due to challenges such as cultural differences and language barriers. Trained facilitators from Jewish Family Services helped translate resources, as well as facilitated the key workshops in Dari, Burmese, Arabic, and Swahili.

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WNET 

Parenting Minutes

WNET Parenting Minutes are short videos that focus on topics related to early childhood learning and family engagement. Each video has additional tips and facts and links to more free resources and information for parents and caregivers. You can catch Parenting Minute videos on WNED PBS and WNED PBS Kids channels and be on the lookout for a Parenting Minute workshop!

Free Printables and Activities

Back to School with PBS KIDS

This past school year was unusual. But with students back to school, there's a lot we can do to bolster our children’s feelings of confidence and security as they head into a new year. Here are ways to get in the back-to-school mindset and cope with any anxieties or emotions.

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From Buffalo Toronto Public Media

WNED PBS Parents and Teachers Facebook Group

The WNED PBS Parents and Teachers Facebook Group is a group managed by the Buffalo Toronto Public Media Learning & Engagement Department. It aims to provide educators, parents, caregivers (and anyone interested in enriching the minds of students) daily curriculum and resources from PBS, NPR, and other public media network resources. 

Subscribe to the Learning & Engagement Monthly Newsletter

Interested in receiving the Learning & Engagement monthly newsletter? The newsletter includes timely curriculum resources, parent tips, and information about upcoming community and educator events. If you are interested in signing up to receive the monthly electronic newsletter, please email Samantha Kittinger at skittinger@wned.org.

Reading Rainbow Stories | Book: Lemonade for Sale

activities and educational resources you and your child or class can do together

WATCH | Reading Rainbow Stories

The Reading Rainbow Stories collection is now available on YouTube, ReadingRainbow.org, and PBS LearningMedia! Watch stories from the original series you know and love with a stunning, high-definition, new look. 
We invite you to watch and listen as cherished books are read. On PBS LearningMedia you'll find accompanying activities are theme-based, stemming from the featured book, and may include questions for discussion, art projects, or writing prompts. And ReadingRainbow.org you'll find family activities!

Let's Go! | New YouTube Series

Let’s Go!, an original series from WNED PBS offers adventure to young, curious learners through behind-the-scenes virtual field trips. Come along with our host Chrisena as she interacts with experts and visits exciting sites throughout Western New York. With Chrisena as your guide, Let’s Go! is perfect for educators, kids ages 7-11, their caregivers, and anyone who loves to explore!

Compact Science 

Compact Science is an engaging new YouTube series from WNED PBS and the Buffalo Museum of Science that explores the wonders of science. Host Sarajane Gomlak Green investigates the geology of Niagara Falls, discovers the chemistry at work in sponge candy, learns how density is the key to lake-effect snow, and more. If you’re curious about the world around you, there’s a lot to explore and Compact Science will be your guide. 

Geared towards children (grades K-6), their families, and anyone with a curiosity of the world around them, each episode frames a scientific concept with a signature regional connection that celebrates the science and history of the Western New York and Southern Ontario region.

The videos are available here on our website along with instructions for the viewer challenge experiments that can be performed at home or in a classroom. 

Compact Science is funded by The Joy Family Foundation.

Compact History

New Digital Series With Activities for 4-8th grade students on PBS LearningMedia

Compact History | YouTube Series

Buffalo Toronto Public Media presents Compact History, an original digital series that connects 4-8th grade students to the stories of the past through the social, archeological, or geographic connections they experience today. The episodes will help young people better understand the relevance of historical moments and begin to see themselves as history keepers and makers. 

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Raising Kids Who Thrive

family with young children listening to a smart speaker

PBS KIDS for PArents

PBS KIDS Podcasts

Families can now tune into their favorite PBS KIDS series through podcasts! These podcasts will take families off the screens and even deeper into the worlds of their favorite PBS KIDS characters. Learn more about the benefits of listening to podcasts together as a family and discover new stories from Molly of Denali, Pinkalicious & Peterrific, and Odd Squad.

WNED PBS Kids Channel Family Night

Gather the gang for Family Night, weekly family viewing events featuring movie specials or themed programming. Watch, play and learn with your favorite PBS KIDS characters every Friday from 7 to  9pm and repeating on Saturday and Sunday evenings on the WNED PBS KIDS channel 

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PBS KIDS FOR Parents

Activities and Crafts

Find fun, educational activities and crafts for kids from PBS Parents.

PBS KIDS FOR Parents

Simple Science Activities

PBS KIDS for Parents has over 60 easy activities around animals, nature, the weather, engineering, the senses, and much more. To keep things even easier, all of our activities here are organized by the number of materials you need! 

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Videos

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Reach Out - Recognize Relationship Abuse

ReachOut - Recognize Relationship Abuse

1 in 3 teenagers report experiencing some form of abuse in their dating relationships. Only a third of those ever talk about it with someone. 82% of parents said they could recognize if their teen was in an abusive relationship, but more than half could not recognize warning signs. Use an approach that empowers your child to be in control of their decisions and learn about resources that are available for them, and for you.


Buffalo Toronto Public Media has partnered with the Family Justice Center of Erie County to bring you Reach Out - Recognize Relationship Abuse, online and on television to help give you the tools you need to start a conversation with someone you think might be in an abusive relationship.


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