With Schools Closed, NYC Turns To Educational TV

NEW YORK CITY — Schools have been closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, and now teachers and educators are trying to find new ways to inspire and instruct students remotely.

Enter "Let's Learn NYC!"— a new educational public television program from WNET and the New York City Department of Education. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the program Friday, explaining that it's a supplemental remote learning show designed to help students from 3K through second grade.

"We’re doing everything we can to make this unprecedented situation a little brighter for our youngest New Yorkers, said de Blasio. "This partnership will bring entertaining educational opportunities directly to homes across New York City."

The new program will air weekdays on THIRTEEN at 11 a.m. starting Monday, May 4. Episodes can also be livestreamed through THIRTEEN's website.

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Let's Learn NYC! will be hosted by teachers, instructional leaders and coaches with experience teaching young students. First, those teachers will create lesson plans and film themselves teaching their lesson in their own homes. Then, THIRTEEN edits their raw lesson footage into a show for broadcast. Organizers say, it's just one way they're trying to make remote learning more engaging for students stuck at home during the pandemic.

"This new program will provide even more fun and innovative learning opportunities for students and families to engage with together," said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza.

Lessons are already planned for a wide variety of topics from reading comprehension, writing, math, science, social studies and more. After the show is over, supplemental learning materials will be posted on schools.nyc.gov or THIRTEEN's website thirteen.org/letslearn.

THIRTEEN is New York City's local PBS station, and is available for free for almost all city residents. The program is being funded in part by the Fund for Public Schools’ NYC Schools COVID-19 Response Effort.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all of New York States 4,800 public schools remain closed through the end of the school year Friday. Schools have been closed since March 15 and students have been taking lessons remotely since March 23.

Read More: NY Public Schools Must Stay Closed Until End Of Term: Cuomo