READY TO LEARN TRANSMEDIA DEMONSTRATION AND MENTOR STATION GRANTS

Grant: Ready To Learn Transmedia Demonstration and Mentor Stations - Cohort #2
Agency: Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)
Deadline: This competition is closed. The deadline was September 7, 2012.

Description: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) intends to fund a second cohort of public television stations to serve as Demonstration sites for the new Ready To Learn initiative called Expanded Learning Through Transmedia Content, under the U.S. Department of Education Ready To Learn grant. The project is expected to begin November 1, 2012 and to be completed by September 29, 2013, contingent on annual federal appropriations for the Ready To Learn program.

A major priority for the new Ready To Learn is to utilize the appeal and impact of PBS KIDS characters and storylines across multiple platforms for the purpose of creating a coordinated learning experience. This approach to content creation and dissemination, known as transmedia storytelling, will deliver messages, concepts and themes with the goal of improving math and literacy comprehension. A second priority is to strengthen math and literacy skills by creating and supporting expanded learning opportunities using this content to connect concepts learned in school, after school, during summer programs and in the home.

Since October 2012, CPB, PBS and partners have produced the following transmedia content and resources, targeted to children ages two to eight from low-income families:

• Transmedia gaming suites from PBS KIDS properties, such as: Super WHY!, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, Dinosaur Train, Sid the Science Kid, Curious George, Fizzy's Lunch Lab, FETCH!, and Wild Kratts.
• The Adventures of The Electric Company on Prankster Planet (Immersive World game and out-of-school learning curriculum).
• FETCH! 3D-rendered collaborative game.
• Fetch! Lunch Rush augmented reality game.
• Chicago Public Schools' Virtual Pre-K Ready for Math kit.
• Mini-games from a new PBS KIDS GO! series scheduled to launch in Fall 2014.
• Mini-games from Peg+Cat, a new PBS KIDS series scheduled to launch in Fall 2013.
• The Electric Company Out of School Program.
• The Electric Company Summer Learning Program.

By September 29, 2012, CPB, PBS and PBS KIDS producers anticipate the delivery of six additional transmedia gaming suites, new Prankster Planet content and related parent-educator resources.

This content will be disseminated using multiple platforms, including: internet, television, mobile devices and other dynamic touch technologies. In addition, new digital tools are being designed for educators and families to aggregate and customize resources and monitor children's progress across platforms.

Selected stations must collaborate with local school and out-of-school learning partners to implement this new content from PBS KIDS in their communities. Over the 11-month project period, Demonstration Stations will help to determine the effectiveness of this content in supporting the development of early math and literacy skills in the target audience. Demonstration Stations will also support the early use and trial of training resources for families, caregivers and educators in targeted communities to build their confidence and capacity for the effective use of interactive technologies with young children. In addition, Demonstration Stations will experiment with innovative methods of community engagement that effectively use transmedia learning resources with low-income children ages two to eight and their families, caregivers and educators in school, out-of-school and home settings. This work will build on public media's best practices in community engagement in high-need communities.

CPB has arranged to provide Demonstration Stations with expert advice from the Ready To Learn's national partners, the Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (CBASS) and the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), through technical assistance partnership brokering for out-of-school learning programs with local public media stations.

Fit for Public Broadcasting: This program from CPB is for public television stations only. CPB previously awarded funds to the following Demonstration Stations (Cohort #1), whose projects are scheduled for completion no later than September 29, 2012:

• Detroit Public Television
• Iowa Public Television
• Eight, Arizona PBS
• KBTC
• Maryland Public Television
• Montana PBS
• Vegas PBS
• WFSU
• WGBY
• Thirteen/WNET
• WVIZ/PBS Ideastream

Eligibility: Public television stations who receive the Community Service Grant are eligible and encouraged to apply. Note, public media organizations that received funding under the initial round of Ready To Learn during the project period October 1, 2011 - September 29, 2012 are not eligible to apply.

Anticipated funding: CPB expects to select up to five stations as Demonstration Stations in this second round of Ready To Learn. The anticipated funding levels have yet to be released, however in the previous round Demonstration Stations were expected to develop a two-year budget of roughly $90,000.

How to apply: Proposals are due via email no later than Friday, September 7, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Budgets should be sent to CPB's Vice President of Procurement, and must be submitted in Microsoft Excel format.

Public media stations planning to submit a proposal are invited to an RFP Orientation Webinar that will introduce proposal applicants to Ready To Learn, transmedia content and national outreach partners. The webinar will take place on Monday, August 13, 2012, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET. Access the webinar live. 

Resources:
Program Notice
Program Website
Access CPB's RFP Orientation Webinar - August 13, 2012, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET.