Families
Explore our favorite resources to help make learning come to life for your family.
School Days
2025-26 Young Writers Contest
The KET Young Writers Contest is a free, yearly contest for Pre K –12th grade students across the state of Kentucky. The contest and its support materials encourage creative expression, literacy development, and a passion for writing!
Categories include Illustrated Story, Poetry, Short Story, Graphic Novel and a brand-new category, a Persuasive Writing category for grades 3-12. In this new category, students are encouraged to write about a topic they are passionate about and persuade their audience to see their viewpoints.
And in celebration of America 250, KET is including a subcategory of Persuasive Writing: Civics. KET invites young writers to think deeply about civics – what it means to take part, make change and shape the future. Persuasive writing pieces in this subcategory will be eligible for special recognition and prizes.
KET’s Cursive ConnectionSM brings fun to cursive handwriting!
In this brand-new video collection, elementary students – assisted by a few animal friends – follow a step-by-step guide to write each letter of the alphabet in cursive. After learning the basics of proper posture, pencil grip and paper position, they’ll be off on a handwriting adventure that teaches upper and lowercase letters and demonstrates how each letter connects to its neighbors to form a word.
This collection uses New American Cursive, a simplified script that is easy to learn, and includes tips for left-handed students.
Civics Education
KET Education and its public media partners are here to enhance and support social studies and civic learning and engagement at all grade levels with a focus on current events, media literacy, American citizenship and U.S. government fundamentals.
Students will learn about becoming good citizens through a study of the nation’s founding, basic knowledge of how government works, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
Do you know a rising kindergartener? Help them prepare for this milestone with KET’s Let’s Learn Kentucky website. This kindergarten-readiness resource hub for families and caregivers of young children encourages families to read, talk, count, play, move and connect.
Raising Readers Video Collection
Young kids can join their pals at PBS KIDS on the road to literacy with the Raising Readers collection. These videos from favorite shows like Super Why!, Between the Lions and Sesame Street cover fundamentals such as the alphabet, rhyming, spelling and more!
Creating daily routines for kids
Consistent routines provide comfort and a sense of safety to young children. Check out these ideas, charts and tips for getting into a good daily routine with your kids.
Start a Personal Library for Your Child
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (Kentucky)
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has expanded to Kentucky! The goal of Imagination Library is to inspire a love of reading by making books available to all children up to age 5 in every zip code in Kentucky, regardless of the family’s income.
Raising Readers in Kentucky
Make reading together fun! KET Education has developed engaging activity sheets just for you and your little one! Aligned with the books children receive from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, these resources offer simple reading strategies that encourage parents and caregivers to engage with their children in discussions about the stories. They aim to boost vocabulary and comprehension in fun and meaningful ways. Each activity sheet includes hands-on ideas to help you connect with trusted content from Let’s Learn Kentucky, PBS KIDS and Sesame Workshop.
In the Spotlight
Smart Start: A KET Special Report
This KET special report examines the importance of a child’s early years of development. Host Renee Shaw is joined by a panel of childhood development experts who discuss ways parents and caregivers can support children in their early years. They also discuss how the Commonwealth and local communities can help address the state’s shortage of workers in the early-childhood development field. The program also features stories from across Kentucky examining how organizations are using innovative programs to enrich early learning experiences for children.
Stream at KET.org and the PBS App
This program is funded in part by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
Paths for Success: Education Matters
The program helps students and parents learn how Advanced Placement, dual credit and other high school pathways can prepare students for college and careers. Host Kelsey Starks discusses these options with a panel of education experts. A 2025 KET production.
Resources for Families: Education Matters
Experts discuss academic standards and educate parents about Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Section 504 plans and various programs for students with support needs. They also outline resources available for families. A 2025 KET production.
The Science of Literacy: Education Matters
Recent state legislation aims to improve literacy and writing skills among Kentucky students. Host Kelsey Starks and a panel of education leaders, policymakers and advocates explore the evidence-based reading techniques that boost reading proficiency and examine a new law returning cursive writing instruction to Kentucky classrooms. A 2025 KET production.
New Series
Nature: Parenthood
The newest miniseries from Nature, premieres on Wednesday, February 4.
Sir David Attenborough guides us through amazing stories of dedication, ingenuity and sacrifice that transcend species, as animals from all walks of life experience the challenges and triumphs of parenthood in ways we’ve never seen before.
Learning to “read the room” with Phoebe & Jay, a new PBS KIDS program!
Phoebe & Jay, a fun, literacy-focused animated series for children ages 3-5, follows the adventures of the curious six-year-old fraternal twins, Phoebe and Jay. This series helps boost kids’ everyday literacy skills and navigate the world around them by highlighting a variety of texts preschoolers encounter in their daily lives – from labels and signs to posters and more.
Phoebe & Jay airs on KET and KETKIDS.
Carl the Collector follows the adventures of Carl, an adorable, warm-hearted raccoon on the autism spectrum who enjoys collecting things and loves his friends and family. Carl pays close attention to detail and comes up with ideas others might not consider. This series showcases and celebrates our differences and commonalities.
This engaging animated series for kids ages 4-8 centers on Lyla Loops and her sidekick, Stu, who use creative problem-solving and critical thinking to help their family, friends and community. From building games to creating a sandwich for the family restaurant, Lyla, Stu and the whole Loops crew tackle challenges with equal servings of humor and heart.
This animated series for kids ages 4-8 centers on best friends, Cora, Dev and Rae, who love to play on the playground and in their favorite digital game, “Skillsville.” Viewers learn about a world of career possibilities and hone their life skills, including strategies to help them feel, focus, organize, remember and think differently.
Go back in time to a colorful prehistory you never knew existed—an era dominated by the juiciest and crunchiest creatures ever to rule the planet, the mighty Vegesaurs! Every episode, starring the young “tricarratops” Ginger and her three Pea-Rex friends, focuses on visual comedy. Vegetables and fruits were never so much fun!
Kids ages 4-8 learn about Earth science and meteorology through adventures that cultivate awareness, curiosity and caring about how the climate impacts living things. The series stars Lily, who shares her weather investigations with family and friends, including dad Al, voiced by Al Roker, the Emmy-winning weatherman; mom Dot, voiced by Holly Robinson Peete; neighbor, Ms. Joyce, voiced by Sheryl Lee Ralph.
When Something Scary Happens
In times of community crisis, it’s easy to assume that children aren’t aware of what’s happening. But kids are sensitive to how their parents, friends and others feel; they notice the expressions on people’s faces and the tone of their voices. These PBS videos, activities, tips and resources can help with current scary news and prepare children and their families for the future.
Ask your children to help you build your family’s emergency kit, like Daniel Tiger did.
Preparing Children for Unexpected Events
Talk wth your children about how to prepare for emergencies.
These videos, activities and resources can be helpful when scary stories are in the news.
KET’s Impact
No one connects Kentucky like KET
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive — and KET and PBS KIDS play a vital role in making that possible.
Beloved programs like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Sesame Street and Wild Kratts teach children essential literacy, math and science skills while nurturing empathy, kindness and problem-solving.
Learn about KET’s impact across Kentucky.
Watch Now
Bring learning to life whenever and wherever you’d like!
From Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood to Molly of Denali, your child’s PBS KIDS favorites are available to stream online, anytime.
Get out(side)!
Elinor, the most observant and curious bunny in Animal Town, introduces kids ages 3-5 to science, nature and community through adventures with her friends Ari and Olive.
Molly, an Alaska Native girl, her dog Suki, and friends Tooey and Trini learn literacy skills by using communication and informational texts, maps, guidebooks, websites and more on their aventures.
Nature Cat (a backyard explorer extraordinaire) and his buddies inspire viewers to get outside and connect with the natural world.
The Wild Kratts crew encounters fascinating animals in their habitats and learns about adaptation, hibernation, extinction and more.
Three marsupials live with their grandmother in a treehouse and solve problems in their Treeborhood by working together.
Think About It
Wish you could pause life long enough to figure out your problems? Alma can! Follow along as she learns to think for herself, making decisions and mistakes, and finding solutions along the way!
The series revolves around an eight-year-old aardvark, Arthur, his four-year-old sister D.W., and their family and friends. It is about being a kid, exploring the world, and finding your place.
Daniel Tiger is a curious and playful four-year-old. His family and friends join him on adventures featuring lots of music, which helps with school-readiness and social-emotional learning.
Donkey Hodie and her pals work together to find solutions to their problems. The series encourages preschoolers to aim high, embrace challenges and work to achieve their goals.
Mister Rogers talks to children in a way they understand, creating a safe space for preschoolers. Topics with sensitive emotional concerns are carefully blended with fun.
A high-tech agency run by kids tackles cases with math skills aimed at first- and second-graders.
Pinkalicious imagines creative possibilities everywhere she looks. This series encourages kids to engage in the arts and self-expression, including music, dance, theater and visual arts.
This preschool series follows the adventures of Rosie Fuentes, an inquisitive and hilarious five-year-old. She tackles challenges and learns new concepts in the amazing world beyond her family walls.
For over 50 years, Sesame Street has helped kids prepare for grade school. Episodes focus on how the basics, interpersonal relationships and art help develop the whole child.
Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum
Follow Xavier, Yadina and Brad as they tackle problems by traveling back in time to learn from heroes like Marie Curie, Jackie Robinson and others when they were kids.
Resources for Parents and Caregivers
All day, every day, we provide safe, educational and entertaining programs for kids. Open up a world of possibilities with programs like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Sesame Street, Wild Kratts and so many more.
Created and curated by KET, these resources help parents and caregivers navigate kids’ early years, from birth to starting school – a very important time in their development.
This KET-produced collection uses original animation and visual images to introduce the basic concepts of math, science, social studies, art and health to the youngest learners.
KET Parenting Newsletter
The games, activities and tips in this newsletter will help you keep kids ages 2-8 engaged.
When you become a KET member, you can enroll up to four kids in our Family Fun Club for benefits such as on-air birthday greetings and invitations to exclusive events.
Access Sesame Street videos, games, ebooks, apps, printables, merchandise and more on this family-centered site powered by the Sesame Street Workshop.
This trusted resource is packed with info on child development and learning. It’s also a parent’s window to educational games and activities inspired by PBS KIDS programs.
KET Forums
KET’s Renee Shaw hosts town-hall style conversations with lawmakers, educators, students and advocates about public affairs, education, safety and other issues.
Apps and More
