KCET Receives National Recognition for Continued Commitment to Early Childhood Education
Los Angeles -- April 6, 2010 -- KCET, public media for Southern and Central California, continues to earn national recognition for its award-winning child care series, A Place of Our Own and Los Niños en Su Casa. Along with U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd and Kaplan Early Learning, KCET is a 2010 recipient of the National Association for Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRAA) Child Care Champion Award. KCET has also received the Loma Linda Award for the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles, awarded by Loma Linda University School of Public Health.
Through the award winning series A Place of Our Own and its Spanish-language companion, Los Niños en Su Casa, KCET empowers child care providers to fulfill their roles as children's first teachers, which directly contributes to a child's health, well-being and readiness to learn.
The Child Care Champion Award was presented to KCET in Washington D.C. at NACCRRA's Leadership and Advocacy Awards Reception, held during the organization's five-day National Policy Symposium. The award recognizes the station's extraordinary commitment and dedication to improving child care and early learning services for all children.
The Loma Linda Award for the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles was created in 2009 to recognize and celebrate outstanding leadership in and commitment to developing strategies for achieving a new level of success in creating vibrant communities. As a recognized leader in the promotion of healthy lifestyles, the Loma Linda University School of Public Health acknowledges organizations and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the public's health in the field of prevention and wellness. The award is given annually during the school's Healthy People conference, which focuses on lifestyle and chronic disease as it seeks to move forward the fight against the American health crisis caused by many more factors than inactivity and poor diet.
A Place of Our Own and Los Niños en Su Casa are produced by KCET/Los Angeles and broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. Debuting in 2004, the daily half-hour programs provide important advice, information and resources for family members and providers raising children up to age five. The programs are produced in separate English and Spanish-language versions.
The series have been honored with numerous awards, including the 2006 Peabody Award, considered the most selective and prestigious in the electronic media industry, and a Parents' Choice award for both the series and Web sites www.aplaceofourown.org and www.losninosensucasa.org. A Place of Our Own and Los Niños en Su Casa, also were nominated for a 2008 Daytime Emmy® Award.
The series are produced as part of KCEd?¢, the education initiative at KCET. Evaluative viewing testing studies report that 80 percent of participants report increased knowledge in tested areas such as managing aggressive child behavior, sharing, and the importance of learning through play, as well as changed attitudes and behavior as child care providers.
A Place of Our Own and Los Niños en Su Casa are produced by KCET, in association with 44 Blue Productions Inc. The series are produced in association with Sesame Workshop. Stephanie Drachkovitch, Mary Mazur and Joyce Campbell serve as executive producers for the series. The programs are funded through the generous support of BP, First 5 California and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
