Early Education

Go Back to School with WXXI!

Back-to-school time means updating routines, packing school lunches, creating a new family calendar, and finding helpful resources to support learning! It can be a lot for everyone in the family – big feelings, big transitions, and even bigger to-do lists.

Let WXXI’s Education Team help you get ready for the back-to-school transition – use the following resources from PBS KIDS and PBS LearningMedia to help your family adjust to the new school year:

Adjusting to New Routines

With the new school year comes new or updated routines, to help the whole family with this transition – design a family routine calendar. It can be tailored for specific parts of the day (i.e. morning, after-school, or bedtime) or individualized for each kid! Shout out to PBS KIDS Alma’s Way for this idea!

First Day of School

The first day of school is a big experience! A brand-new special from PBS KIDS called “The Day You Begin” follows four kindergartners on their first day of school. It’s a great family watch and opportunity to start thinking about the first days of school, and what makes each of us unique. Watch on PBS KIDS beginning Friday, August 7, 2026. You can also borrow the book, The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, from your favorite local library or watch the PBS KIDS Reads video of Jacqueline Woodson reading her book!

Learn at Home

Explore PBSLearningMedia – this free resource is available to all families, educators, and students. It’s appropriate to support students in grades PreK-12th grade. Whether it’s exploring New York State history or the depths of space, PBS LearningMedia is a good first stop to keep the curiosity and learning flowing all school year long. Teacher pro tip: Check out the helpful tutorial videos for how to use PBS LearningMedia features for your classroom instruction!

Listen Together

PBS KIDS podcasts can help you and your kids create some screen-free-time during the week. Listen while you ride in the car, play in your living room, or even before bed. Enjoy your favorite PBS KIDS stories, in an audio format. Choose from Arthur, Lyla’s Loopcast, the Odd Squadcast, Molly of Denali, and more!

More Back-to-School Helpers:

Explore the full PBS KIDS for Parents Back-to-School Hub or Back-to-School Activities Collection on PBS LearningMedia

Read PBS KIDS for Parents articles: 3 Words to Reframe “How was Your Day?”, Helping Your Child Make Friends Again, How to Cope with Back-to-School Anxiety, How to Handle a Tough First Day of School, or 5 Ways to Beat Back-to-School Jitters

Have a little one heading to kindergarten for the first time? Check out WXXI’s Kindergarten Readiness page!

Daniel Tiger is Coming to Rochester!

Celebrate 60 years of WXXI’s commitment to engaging, educating, and inspiring our community with a special visit from Daniel Tiger at the Rochester and Monroe County America 250 Celebration!

WXXI is joining the community in celebrating America’s 250th birthday! On Sunday, July 12, stop by the PBS KIDS booth for a special photo opportunity with everyone’s favorite neighbor, Daniel Tiger from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Discover how WXXI has supported families and children from our earliest days to today through trusted educational programming and community engagement. It’s sure to be a grr-ific evening—we can’t wait to see you there! Bring the whole family and enjoy activities, memories, and a chance to celebrate this milestone with us.

Here’s What to Expect:

Daniel Tiger Photo Opps: Daniel Tiger photo opportunities will be available from 5-8 p.m. Photo opportunities will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Photo opportunities are for both growups and kids – bring your camera, snap a photo, or give Daniel a hug or a high-five! Please note, Daniel will have to take short breaks.

Birthday Card: Wish WXXI a happy 60th anniversary by signing our card! We’ll have crayons and markers for you to draw and write a happy birthday message.

Timeline of Children’s Educational Programming: Learn how WXXI’s work is rooted in early educational experiences anchored with children’s programming. See how WXXI’s long history of family and community engagement has connected, engaged, and provided a foundational of early learning for kids in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region for 60 years.

Event Details:

Monroe County’s America 250 Celebration is Rochester’s anniversary celebration for our nation, bringing the community together for an unforgettable summer night at ESL Ballpark. This free, family-friendly event transforms the stadium into a vibrant, high-energy experience featuring live music, great food and drink, and activities for all ages. From the outfield to the concourse, every corner of the ballpark comes to life with entertainment, community partners, and hands-on fun. The night builds toward a fireworks finale, creating a shared moment that brings the community together.

Location: ESL Ballpark – 1 Morrie Silver Way, Rochester, NY 14608
Date: Sunday, July 12
Time: 5:00 to 9:30 p.m.
More information: https://www.america250rochester.com

Make a Circle Screening & Discussion / Exhibición y discusión de “Make a Circle”

Join WXXI and Monroe Community College (MCC) for a special screening and community conversation around the film, Make a Circle, at the MCC Downtown Campus on Wednesday, April 8. This engaging evening will bring community members together to reflect, connect, and explore the film’s themes in a welcoming space.

Únase a WXXI y a Monroe Community College (MCC, por sus siglas en ingles) para una exhibición especial y una discusión comunitaria en torno a la película “Make a Circle”, que tendrá lugar en el campus del centro de la ciudad de MCC el miércoles 8 de abril. Esta interesante tarde reunirá a miembros de la comunidad para reflexionar, conectar y explorar los temas de la película en un espacio acogedor.

Event program: Doors will open at 6 p.m. The screening of the film, Make a Circle, will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion at 7:30 p.m. The panel will feature local early childhood professionals including: Ann Marie Stephan (Executive Director of Rochester ChildFirst Network), Tiffany Howard (Early Childhood Professional at Friendship Children’s Center), and Crystal Campo (Family Child Care Provider). And, the panel will be moderated by WXXI News Reporter, Noelle Evans. The evening will also include a community resource fair with local, regional, and New York State early learning partners. Light refreshments will be provided.

Programa del evento: Las puertas se abrirán a las 6:00 p. m. La exhibición de la película “Make a Circle” comenzará a las 6:30 p. m. e irá seguida de un panel a las 7:30 p. m. El panel contará con la participación de profesionales locales de la primera infancia, entre los que se incluyen: Ann Marie Stephan (Directora Ejecutiva de Rochester ChildFirst Network), Tiffany Howard (profesional de la primera infancia en el Friendship Children’s Center) y Crystal Campo (proveedora de cuidado infantil familiar). Además, el panel estará moderado por la reportera de WXXI News, Noelle Evans. La tarde también incluirá una feria de recursos comunitarios con socios locales, regionales y del estado de Nueva York dedicados al aprendizaje temprano. Se ofrecerán refrigerios ligeros.

Family-Friendly: To help make this experience more accessible for adults with young children, a family-friendly viewing space will be available. Adults will need to stay with their children at all times.

Apto para familias: Para que esta experiencia sea más accesible para los adultos con niños pequeños, habrá un espacio apto para familias. Los adultos deberán permanecer con sus hijos(as) en todo momento.

Please register using the form below. All registered participants will receive a follow-up email with confirmation and additional event details.

Inscríbase utilizando el formulario que aparece a continuación. Todos los participantes inscritos recibirán un correo electrónico de confirmación con los detalles adicionales del evento.

The screening and discussion are free and open to the public but registration is required.

La exhibición y la discusión son gratuitos y abiertos al público, pero es necesario inscribirse.

About the Film

From an award-winning filmmaking team, Make a Circle follows a group of child care providers who are determined to change how society values the education of its youngest citizens. With a mix of humor, outrage, and passion, Make a Circle captures the unfolding stories of Patricia, a leader of a new union for child care providers, as she fights on behalf of a largely immigrant workforce; Charlotte, another union member who tirelessly lifts up the low-income families in her care; and Anne, the director of a large preschool, who finds novel ways to value and support her teachers when jobs at Starbucks are offering higher pay. Within their stories are interludes that offer a cinematic glimpse into the unique, imaginative world of the young children in their care. The film culminates as thousands of child care union members march on their state capitol demanding better working conditions, just as their contract is set to expire. Weaving together the magic they create in the classroom, the struggles they endure at home, and their unwavering activism for their profession, Make a Circle is a moving portrait of life as an early childhood educator and a promising blueprint for fixing our broken child care system.

Black History Month with PBS KIDS

Celebrate Black History Month to focus on learning about black history and culture throughout the year. Watch special episodes from Xavier Riddle & The Secret Museum, Arthur, Alma’s Way, Odd Squad, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Ready Jet Go!, Lyla in the Loop, Molly of Denali, Peg+Cat,

Watch PBS KIDS Black History Month Episodes

About Black History Month

Watch PBS KIDS Black History Month Playlist

Watch the PBS KIDS YouTube Playlist for Black History Month

Phoebe & Jay • WXXI-TV & WXXI PBS KIDS 24/7

This new animated series for children ages 3-5 follows the adventures of 6-year-old fraternal twins Phoebe and Jay Yarber, who live with their family in the fantastical Tobsy Towers.

Phoebe & Jay airs weekdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on WXXI-TV and on the Live Stream, weekdays at 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on WXXI PBS KIDS & Live Stream and anytime on the PBS KIDS Video app

Whether using a flyer to help a neighbor find a lost pet, reading clothing labels to find the right size shirt, or using a chore chart to tidy up before a surprise guest arrives, Phoebe and Jay model for young viewers how they, too, can use various kinds of texts kids see in their everyday lives to develop important life skills and engage with others in their family and community.

At the heart of “Phoebe & Jay” is a curriculum highlighting the importance of developing preschoolers’ functional “everyday” literacy skills, empowering them to use and create a variety of functional texts in the world around them to tackle challenges and accomplish tasks in their daily lives. Texts might be written, visual, auditory, or haptic and may include lists, labels, signs, sounds and vibrations, instructions, menus, icons and symbols, and tactile text like braille. The series also supports the development of foundational executive function skills like focused attention, impulse control, flexible thinking, working memory, and task persistence that help the characters read and find meaning in the texts they encounter.

Explore the Phoebe & Jay PBS KIDS site for videos and games.
Learn More About the Series & Resources at the PBS KIDS for Parents Series Page

Phoebe & Jay PBS LearningMedia Collection

Family Resources To Talk with Kids About Inclusion

Families appreciate resources to talk with children about disability and inclusion. These are important to conversations and experiences which help kids to accept their own differences and be more accepting of others’ differences. They begin to appreciate what makes them and their friends unique. This can promote self-esteem, kindness and inclusion. WXXI & PBS KIDS have programs and resources to introduce these topics through characters and activities that help friends to work and play together.

Talking with Kids About Disabilities:

How do you get started with these discussions? How do you help your curious child to engage with others and be inclusive? How can you set an example? And more.

Download PDF in Color or PDF in Black & White

PBS KIDS Characters with Disabilities

Explore PBS KIDS shows with characters that have disabilities and see who you know.
Download the PDF of character cards.
Download: All Kinds of Friends Coloring Pages with PBS KIDS characters
Get to know characters when you watch the connected shows on PBSKIDS.org

PBS KIDS Apps & Games Accessibility Features

Everyone can be included with PBS KIDS Apps & Games. Explore the accessibility tools.
Download PDF of PBS KIDS Accessibility Features

Carl the Collector Social Stories

Social stories help kids understand something that could happen and plan what to do in a variety of situations. Here are some helpful stories to explore in your conversations about inclusion and making friends.

Download Social Story PDFs:

Thinking Through Pros & Cons of a Decision

How To Let Go of Special Things

How To Tell Someone About Yourself

How To Learn What Other People Like

What To Do When Someone Teases You

PBS KIDS Winter Games Page

☃️ ❄️ Looking for ways for your kids to stay warm but still enjoy the winter weather? Visit the PBS KIDS Games app or PBS KIDS Winter Games Topic Page now and explore our selection of winter games!

Play Winter Games

Season’s Greetings Live PBS KIDS Holidays Stream!

☃️🎄 ❄️ Happy Holidays! Grab your hot cocoa and take a sleigh ride over to watch this Winter livestream full of special holiday episodes from your favorite PBS KIDS shows! Celebrate the holiday season with Alma’s Way in “Snow Day in the Bronx” and “Alma’s Nochebuena/Three King’s Day Do-Over,” to spread warm wishes with your family and loved ones, just like Alma! Have a Claus-itively merry and bright day with Rosie’s Rules’ “Christmas in Mexico,” and learn all about her cozy family traditions. Plus, join Arthur, Wild Kratts, Peg + Cat, and more in their holiday shenanigans. YULE love it! Trust me, it’s SNOW joke!