Ready To Learn (RTL) is a public television service with the goal that all children enter kindergarten ready to learn. This goal is met through the reach of public broadcasting and community literacy events and projects.

We provide parents, teachers, and caregivers free services. Click on these links to learn about our services: Our Basic Ready to Learn Service, Literacy Workshops, Storytimes, Special Projects, and Community Events.

Locally, WVPT's RTL impacts about 8,000 children directly and indirectly each year. Click here to find out about volunteering.

workshop coordinated by RTL staff. The books aredistributed during special storytimes that incorporate the VIEW-READ-DO learning triangle. The emphasis of the parent workshop is to encourage parents to use the TV as a teaching tool and then to broaden this experience by reading books and doing hands-on activities. Each parent and child attending a RTL workshop or participating in a special project is given a storybook.

In fact, WVPT distributes more than 20,000 free new books to children each year. RTL services are made possible by the generous donors, in-kind contributions of materials and community volunteers. Some of our major sponsors include: Merck, Transprint U.S.A., Green Valley Book Fair, RR Donnelley, Berryville Foundation, Cropp-Metcalfe Commercial, Inc., and VAEYC, American Woodmark, and Wachovia..

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Our workshops explore the research-based formula of “View, Read, Do”, the Ready To Learn learning triangle. Workshops include free books, PBS Families magazines, educational packets, post cards for follow-up and web resources. Workshop format can be adapted for various age groups and audiences. (Some materials available in Spanish.

Reading Together
Experts agree that reading with children, talking about stories and telling stories are some of the most important ways you can help your child learn and succeed in school. Participants learn how to use the award winning series Between the Lions and its website to not only promote at-home reading but also to teach, reinforce and improve key emergent pre-literacy skills.
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Healthy Habits for Life
Sesame Street Workshop has created this initiative to help caregivers and parents discover creative ways to get children excited about being healthy. Obesity is a health crisis facing children in the United States and serious weight problems can lead to health complications later in life. Using the lovable Sesame Street characters to inspire, this workshop introduces the idea of motivational interactive television, related fun activities and book suggestions to help shape children’s positive health habits.

Family Math Workshops
To learn to use mathematics in purposeful ways children must be engaged in exploring and problem solving. These workshops based on the popular literacy program, Reading Rainbow, are highly interactive with children taking the lead in the activities and parents providing the support. Children’s literature is incorporated with math experiences that are relevant to the lives of children.

Family Sorytelling: A Personal Oral History
Families participate in writing and telling their own stories. Children will learn to appreciate their unique histories when they put pen to paper and share stories important to them and their families. This is a terrific intergenerational opportunity.

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Bedtime Routine
Struggles at bedtime are all too common. Ideas and activities are included in this workshop that help create a routine at home to ease that special time of day. What parents say and do can make a big difference in how children feel about bedtime.

You Can Ask
This workshop presents positive ways for adults to talk with 3- to 8-year old children about their feelings and concerns. Whether children are worried about moving to a new home or school, facing the illness or death of a loved one, afraid about war, or concerned about their own safety, this workshop offers materials and suggestions that can help.

Storytimes
WVPT Ready to Learn provides community storytimes for preschoolers. We read stories to the children, conduct View-Do-Read activities with them, and supply take home books for each child along with parent educational materials. For more information, please click on the ‘Storytime’ in the Quick Link column on the left side of this page.

Special Projects WVPT sponsors special book projects throughout the year to distribute a free book to every child in a specific grade (e.g. “Kudos for Kindergarteners” and “Super Second Graders”) and encourage designated readers to read or be read to by the child.

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Community Events Ready To Learn hosts events for families in the WVPT service area including schools and daycares. RTL also presents parent workshops at the request of various organizations and agencies (such as Healthy Families of the Shenandoah, Parenting Education and Support and others).

Ready To Learn participates in family fairs, Festival of the Book celebrations, literacy and library events, summer camp programs, and other special events in the day or evening sponsored by the community. Contact us if you have an event in which we can participate.

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Would you like to volunteer?
RTL relies on volunteers to process thousands of books for distribution, sew more than 1,000 beautiful cloth bookbags, and prepare materials for workshops and events. RTL volunteers get together at WVPT on the second Wednesday of each month 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Dedicated volunteers help us sticker books, label pamphlets, sew book bags, tag book bags, and count materials for workshops.  We would love to hear from you if you are interested in joining us to help with this project.  Please contact WVPT's Ready To Learn coordinator.