CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – April 12, 2010 – WTCI and The Public Library - Downtown have partnered to launch a PBS Kids Raising Readers Library Corner in the Children’s department of the main library, located at 1001 Broad Street. The community is invited to attend an event to launch the new initiative on Saturday, April 17 at 10 a.m. There will be a reception just outside the library’s auditorium, followed by a visit to the Children’s department.

"As the PBS station for the community, WTCI is dedicated to its mission to educate, engage and inspire a lifetime of learning and exploration," said Paul Grove, WTCI President and CEO. "The library corner supports this mission by providing an opportunity for children, parents and caregivers to explore and learn together using PBS Kids Raising Readers resources. We are excited to be working with the library to provide free access to engaging research-based, multi-platform content and activities."

PBS KIDS Raising Readers is a national literacy campaign that develops engaging PBS KIDS programs, as well as exciting games, playful Web sites and easy-to-use learning resources for kids, parents, caregivers and teachers—all with the goal of helping children ages 2-8 build the skills they need to learn to read, with a focus on the needs of children from low-income families.

"As an advocate for early literacy, this reading corner further advances one of the library system’s service priorities. We are always looking for community partners that share our vision,” stated David Clapp, Library Director.

In addition to access provided at the downtown library branch, many of the PBS Kids Raising Readers resources can also be accessed from home by visiting the Kids & Family page at wtciTV.org. WTCI's Raising Readers program is supported locally by Chattem.

About WTCI's Education Impact

WTCI is growing as a leader in education outreach through several initiatives that extend our educational reach directly to families and children in the community. Through our education programs, WTCI:

• Distributes free books to children, families and caregivers in the community through partnerships with early learning programs and local public schools. WTCI has distributed more than 10,000 free books in the community.
• Provides free early literacy workshops to parents, teachers, caregivers and children to encourage a lifelong love of reading, age appropriate programming, limited television viewing, reading strategies and hands-on activities.
• Offers the PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest each year to kindergarten through fifth graders to encourage children to use their imagination and to share their creativity with others.
• Holds an annual Family Day event to engage children and families in active learning together, featuring special guests from PBS Kids, interactive activities, storytelling and more. Over 1,000 individuals attend this annual event.
• Partners will local schools and other organizations on education programs, including the PBS Kids Raising Readers Library Corner, book drives, PBS Kids character visits and station tours.
• Provides direct access to PBS Kids Raising Readers online content at wtciTV.org, including online children's programming, games and resources that allow parents, teachers and caregivers to work with children on reading skills.

About WTCI

WTCI, PBS for the Tennessee Valley, has been helping the community “Be more connected” for 40 years by encouraging our viewers to engage more deeply in the world around them. WTCI was recently named the 2010 Nonprofit of the Year by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, a testament to the dedication of our staff, board of directors, and volunteers. WTCI reaches over 312,000 households and serves a total population of over 850,000 in a four-state, 35-county viewing area. Through quality programming and educational outreach services, WTCI can help you “Be More!”.