All Funding for PBS Ready To Learn Cut by US Department of Education

On May 2, the US Department of Education notified the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that the 2020-2025 Ready To Learn Grant was terminated, effective immediately. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting informed PBS and 44 public media stations, including WFYI, to stop work immediately, pausing the grant program throughout the country.

“Over the last 30 years, the work of Ready To Learn has been a proven educational resource for our youngest community members and their families, providing early learning skills that improve student outcomes for preschool and early elementary children,” said WFYI CEO, Greg Petrowich. “This work remains vital to our mission.”

WFYI has participated in the Ready To Learn initiative for over 20 years. Partnering with early education agencies, community centers, youth development programs, school districts and state organizations. The Indianapolis Public Library has been an ongoing collaborator, in the 2020-2025 cycle the Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center and Parents as Teachers were added as Learning Neighborhood partners. Over the years, WFYI has trained teachers, librarians and early educators while providing family engagement and learning opportunities to thousands of Hoosiers. 

In the last year and a half, with community partners, WFYI held 30 family workshops reaching 382 families including 560 children and nine professional development training sessions for 142 educators. These workshops focused on computational thinking, world of work, informational text and executive function skills that equip young learners for school readiness and success.

WFYI’s Community Engagement team plans to co-create with partners at a limited capacity using supplies already on hand for projects planned to take place throughout the summer. Ongoing collaborations will be significantly reduced due to limited resources and lack of funding.

Statement from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting:

May 6, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 6, 2025) – On May 2, the U.S. Department of Education notified the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that its 2020-2025 Ready To Learn grant is terminated, effective immediately. CPB then informed PBS and 44 public media stations in 28 states and the District of Columbia that receive Ready To Learn grants to stop work immediately, pausing the program in rural and urban communities throughout the country.

“Nearly every parent has raised their kids on public broadcasting’s children’s content. For the past 30 years, Ready To Learn-funded PBS KIDS content has produced measurable, real-world impacts on children’s learning,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. “Ready To Learn has received strong bipartisan support from Congress for the last 30 years because of the programs’ proven educational value in advancing early learning skills for all children. We will work with Congress and the Administration to preserve funding for this essential program.”

Congress is also aware that public media offers a safe place for children to learn, protected from inappropriate content on commercial and social media – free of charge and commercial free.

Background:

• Ready To Learn is authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
• The U.S. Department of Education has held the Ready To Learn Programming grant competition every five years since 1995, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS have won grants in every cycle.
• The 2020-2025 cycle, which expires on September 30, was approved by the first Trump Administration.
• Historically, grants from Ready To Learn have helped fund such well-known shows as "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow, and "Clifford the Big Red Dog." Shows funded by the current grant include the award-winning “Molly of Denali,” “Work It Out Wombats!” and “Lyla in the Loop.”
• In the most recent fiscal year, Ready To Learn content reached more than 1.8 billion video streams, 27.6 million digital game plays, 10.2 million television viewers, and 2 million mobile app downloads.

About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit www.cpb.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and subscribe for email updates.

About WFYI Public Media

Since 1970, WFYI Public Media has served Central Indiana as a trusted friend. Its nonprofit public radio and TV stations, digital content and community engagement activities provide trusted journalism, inspiring stories and lifelong learning to Hoosiers of all ages and walks of life. WFYI broadcasts original content, as well as PBS and NPR programs, on three television channels, five radio services – including WBAA – and online. Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media (MIPM) is the parent organization of WFYI Public Media. Learn more at wfyi.org and follow online on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and X/Twitter.