3 days ago
SDPB promoting free educational resources for parents, educators, caregivers
Jun. 10—MITCHELL — As home to longtime programming content like Sesame Street, South Dakota Public Broadcasting and its fellow public broadcasting outlets in other states are known for educational programming, along with other cultural, information and news offerings.
But there is more than just that available at SDPB.
That was the message staffers and supporters of South Dakota Public Broadcasting were sharing Friday evening in Mitchell. They had set up a booth near the Corn Palace to talk with the public about programming the organization has available, particularly when it comes to early childhood development and educational resources.
"One of our core mission objectives is ensuring that every child in South Dakota enters kindergarten ready for school and ready for life and is supported and informed by engaged parents and professional educators and caregivers," Julie Overgaard, executive director for South Dakota Public Broadcasting, told the Mitchell Republic. "Our job isn't to take the place of any of that caregiving. It's to provide useful, high-quality, set-to-state standards educational resources that are free for anybody to use."
Overgaard was referring to a slew of online educational and professional development materials available for anyone to use for free online through the SDPB website. Those resources include PBS Kids videos, interactive games, early learning resources such as activities, lessons and articles along with outreach and professional development information.
It's all available at and Overgaard and her fellow SDPB officials are hoping South Dakotans take advantage.
The programming is geared for year-round learning but the free, online nature makes it available for use at any time or any season. SDPB is focusing its outreach on teachers, parents and other professionals such as daycare providers.
The offerings found their footing in the late 2010s, particularly in the leadup to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then that interest in the educational programs took off when young children were suddenly home from school due to worries about the virus. Combined with general funding issues associated with education, the SDPB programs grew into a valued repository of learning tools.
"(The pandemic) just had an outsized impact on our efforts in this area that none of us saw coming. Since then, we've been really successful and our major donors and other people around the state are really feeling that this is an important topic area that maybe doesn't get the funding and attention it deserves," Overgaard said.
The materials provide a great source of educational activities, but there are also resources related to professional development.
Overgaard said SDPB holds professional development workshops at daycare centers, Head Starts and school-associated preschools on how they can use the free materials to support their curriculums. The programming is designed to meet South Dakota early learning guidelines, she said.
Other outreach takes place at public libraries to encourage student interest in reading, as well working in the summer with teachers to help them with continuing education or professional development credits.
"We go to a lot of education conferences and meet the teachers where they're at and just keep trying to get the world out about what we have to offer them," Overgaard said.
She said that over 100,000 children a month access the available online programs. When added to other programming offered by SDPB, that comes in closer to 750,000 children a month. The resources have been especially utilized by homeschooling families, who Overgaard said are always on the lookout for supportive materials. A recent stop at a homeschooling conference was well-attended and well-received, she said.
Kara Brodsky, brand and marketing manager for SDPB, was at the organization's booth on Friday in Mitchell, speaking with members of the public next to a large cutout of Sesame Street star Elmo. Conversations ranged from topic to topic, but getting the word out about the educational materials was paramount.
"(It's for) parents, for sure, but also teachers," Brodsky said. "We're here to support parents and teachers with the resources they might need. We fill in the blanks a little bit with some of the things that we can help with. So teachers, caregivers, anybody who is reaching those preschoolers, that early childhood development, is really important."
Conveying the value of the resources that SDPB has available is important right now, Overgaard said. There has been
concern about potential funding cuts to public broadcasting at the federal level,
and Overgaard and other SDPB officials have been lobbying South Dakota leaders such as Rep. Dusty Johnson, Sen. Mike Rounds and Sen. John Thune about the importance of that funding to various programs.
The cuts target perceived bias at the national level, such as National Public Radio and programming like PBS NewsHour, All Things Considered and Morning Edition, Overgaard said. But such cuts could hurt more localized programming, as well.
"I'm very, very concerned about it. Federal funding flows through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has been targeted for elimination in a rescission of prior authorized funding. The talk is that it's all about biased programming at the national level," Overgaard said. "What most people don't understand is that the money that's being rescinded or threatened for elimination — the vast, vast majority of those dollars are funneled to local public broadcasting stations across the country like SDPB. So the cut will have an outsized impact on rural networks and rural stations if it goes through."
As officials with SDPB monitor the funding situation, they are also celebrating more accessibility to their product in the Mitchell area. The organization recently launched a new full-power radio station, 89.1 FM, near Mitchell. The tower has been in the works for nearly a decade, with Overgaard saying that another full-power radio station in the area overpowered the old low-powered SDPB transmitter and "blew us off the air."
Listeners should be able to pull in the new transmission easily, she said.
"Now we have a good quality signal into Mitchell that extends all the way down south of Parkston, covering a much larger geography. We've really solidified our coverage in that area," Overgaard said.
The new signal is a boost for SDPB, Overgaard said, but the free educational materials are available anywhere, anytime for anyone who has access to an internet connection. In times when funding for education can be limited, any and all quality resources become valuable for parents and professionals alike who want to support their kids the best they can.
The invitation to use those materials is always open, she said.
"The state and the legislature have had difficulty coming to agreement and funding for early childhood education initiatives. So as with other things in the state, you sometimes have to figure out the best way to do it yourselves," Overgaard said.
More information on the educational resources available through SDPB can be found at
