NJN Partners With Pre-School Summer Learning Program
Popular PBS KIDS® series Super WHY! boosts literacy skills for preschoolers

Statewide – A pre-school Super WHY! summer camp in Beachwood, NJ is the newest addition to NJN’s educational initiatives that reflect NJN’s longstanding commitment to provide quality educational experiences for New Jersey students. Since 1998, NJN’s Ready to Learn and Ready to Lead in Literacy programs, designed for children ages 2 through 8, have served more than 58,000 children, particularly those in the Abbott districts and underserved communities; 5,400 parents; and nearly 4,500 teachers, offering educational materials and workshops that enrich and connect learning in the classroom, day care center and home. NJN also has distributed more than 56,000 free books. NJN’s Web site (www.njn.net/education) features online educational materials and links to other sites for students, teachers, and parents to help support the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards.

Beginning July 13th, NJN Public Television is partnering with the Beachwood Nursery School in the Borough of Beachwood, Ocean County, NJ in sponsoring a Super WHY! summer camp.  This week-long summer learning experience is based on the PBS television preschool reading and literacy series that, according to recent research studies, has proved to be highly effective in helping children read, particularly those children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Under the direction of a certified teacher, the interactive storybook camp will stimulate literacy/reading readiness for children, ages four to six, through educational and fun events and activities. The goals of the camp are to build on children’s enthusiasm for the PBS KIDS® Super WHY! television series to help them discover the power of reading, and to motivate children to want to read and play with letters, sounds and words.

Research has proven that the Super WHY! series boosts literacy skills for preschoolers through interactive storybook adventures and a hands-on approach to apply the Super Readers reading lessons into the children’s daily lives.  Two new studies suggest that Super WHY! plays a role in the acquisition of early literacy abilities that lead to the development of reading success. The findings of these studies underscore the powerful role that media and community-based engagement activities can play, by putting scientific research into action and helping children learn to read.

For more information about the Super WHY! camp and other educational programs, go to NJN’s website or call NJN’s Director of Educational Initiatives, Ellen Mushinski at 609-777-5101.