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To help bridge the summer learning gap and encourage curiosity and exploration throughout the summer months, PBS KIDS invites kids, parents and educators to have fun while they learn with new programming, resources and events for the whole family. With a new special from READY JET GO!, the highly anticipated premiere of PBS KIDS’ newest animated series MOLLY OF DENALI, and the unveiling of an updated PBS KIDS for Parents website filled with hands-on family activities, there are fun summer learning opportunities for everyone. READY JET GO!: ONE SMALL STEP will premiere on WOUB Monday, June 17 and MOLLY OF DENALI will premiere on PBS stations and the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel in July! The shows will also stream on pbskids.org and the free PBS KIDS Video App.

“Research demonstrates the importance of supporting kids’ learning throughout the summer months,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, Children’s Media and Education, PBS. “That’s why every year, PBS KIDS and member stations nationwide offer families resources that bridge the summer learning gap through curiosity-driven learning. This summer, we’re thrilled to offer a full slate of educational and engaging content and activities that encourage kids and parents to play and learn together.”

To help parents and caregivers build upon the educational opportunities presented in these series and more, PBS KIDS is unveiling the new PBS KIDS for Parents site, making thousands of free resources available to the adults in children’s lives. The site includes articles, tips, activities and materials connected to fans’ favorite shows, and relevant topics organized by program curriculum and target ages. All summer long, the site will invite families to “Camp PBS KIDS,” where kids and parents can explore topics like space, reading, weather, cooking with math, world cultures, outdoor fun and more together.

READY JET GO!: ONE SMALL STEP
Premieres and streams June 17
Jet and the gang have a fun night planned with a sleepover in Jet’s backyard, mini-golf, and star-gazing—after all, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing! When Jet reveals that he’s built a brand new super saucer that can take all the kids (and Sunspot) to the Moon, they HAVE to test it out. After a rough landing, the kids realize that a part of the saucer is broken. With Celery and Carrot’s permission, they decide to have their sleepover on the Moon, but after falling asleep they notice Jet and Sunspot have disappeared! Sydney stays behind to work on the saucer while Sean and Mindy venture out to find their friends.

In addition to the new special, a new app, READY JET GO! Space Scouts, will also launch in June. Space Scouts includes 5 games, each fostering kids’ science and engineering skills through building of rovers and astronaut bases; designing and planning missions, and growing gardens across the solar system.

MOLLY OF DENALI
Premieres and streams July 15
Produced by WGBH Boston, the newest PBS KIDS series, MOLLY OF DENALI, will premiere July 15 as the first nationally distributed children’s series in the U.S. to feature a Native American lead character. MOLLY OF DENALI follows 10-year-old Molly Mabary, her dog Suki and her friends Tooey and Trini on their daily adventures, from fishing and building snow forts, to delivering a camera to friends on a volcano via dog sled. Designed to help kids ages 4-8 develop knowledge and skills for interacting with informational texts, the series uses books, field guides, historical archives, maps, charts, posters and more to enhance each of Molly’s adventures. The Molly of Denali website and digital games will also launch in July, followed by the Molly of Denali mobile app in August, through which kids will use informational text to fish for salmon, create beaded designs and care for sled dogs. A podcast prequel to the series from WGBH, in partnership with PRX and Gen-Z Media, will also be available on mollyofdenalipodcast.org and on your favorite podcast app starting May 30.