**For IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

March 4th, 2024

Contact: Emilia.Rowland@mail.house.gov

Congresswoman Summer Lee Announces $97,000 Educational Grant for WQED PBS to Enhance Educational Opportunities for Children

Pittsburgh, PA – Today, Congresswoman Summer Lee announced a $97,000 grant to WQED PBS for a groundbreaking 24-month project aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for children, particularly those from low-income communities. These funds are dedicated to developing and distributing educational content that fosters functional literacy, critical thinking, and introduces the “World of Work” to children aged 2 through 8. With a focus on inclusivity, these resources will be accessible to all Americans for free through PBS and online at pbskids.org.

Congresswoman Lee said, “I am proud to have helped secure this vital funding for WQED PBS. This grant not only recognizes the importance of public media in our children’s education but also significantly strengthens our community’s ability to support educators, parents, and caregivers. It is a critical step forward in our commitment to never leaving children behind, especially those from low-income communities who face the greatest barriers to access high-quality education. By working closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and other partners, we are ensuring that our children, regardless of their zip code, have the tools and opportunities they need to thrive in an ever-evolving world.”

The Ready to Learn program, which has been enriching young minds since its inception in the early 1990s, leverages the educational power of public media’s content, including beloved programs such as “Molly of Denali,” “Work it Out Wombats!,” and “Lyla in the Loop.” This initiative is authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act and underscores the commitment of Congress to provide high-quality educational opportunities to all children.

In addition to developing educational content, the grant will enable WQED PBS to collaborate with state-level partners to extend the reach and impact of RTL resources. This includes designing hybrid professional development content for early childhood educators that aligns with curriculum and standards in Pennsylvania.

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Since taking office in January 2023, Lee, who serves on the House Oversight Committee and Space, Science and Technology Committee, has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $1.2 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $200 million for infrastructure, over $50 million for affordable transit, and over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 1,850 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.

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