You called, you tweeted and you Facebooked your support of public television’s kids educational programming. You saved Ready To Learn!

Thanks to your tireless work, the Senate did not consider S.A. 2158, Senator Flake’s amendment to eliminate the Ready To Learn program from the Every Child Achieves Act. Your outreach strengthened the fate of our Ready To Learn program, and demonstrated the power of our grassroots network as well as your willingness to stand up for the stations and programs you love.

We couldn’t have won this fight without you. We’re incredibly fortunate that we can count on you to protect children’s educational media. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ready To Learn, the grant program that has supported public television’s kids educational content, like Sesame Street, Peg + Cat, Curious George, SUPER WHY!, Martha Speaks, The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That, Sid the Science Kid and The Electric Company, is in DANGER. Right now, the Senate is considering the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (formerly known as No Child Left Behind) and Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona has submitted an amendment, S.A. 2158, that would end Ready To Learn.

The Senate could vote on S.A. 2158 as early as tomorrow. You can help DEFEAT this amendment. Please call your U.S. Senators NOW and tell them to vote NO on eliminating Ready To Learn. To find your Senators, click here.

You can also tweet at your Senators. Find your Senators here and copy and paste the following text: #EarlyEd Counts. Please support public TV’s #ReadyToLearn grant program, vote #NOSA2158. #EveryChildAchieves

Ready To Learn is a cost-effective, competitive grant program that has helped fund public television’s educational and research-based programming for preschoolers. Ready To Learn has also enabled public television to create online and local educational resources for children, parents and caregivers.

Ready To Learn gives every child access to effective educational resources, every day, for free, regardless of access to preschool.

And Ready To Learn works. More than 80 independent studies confirm that Ready To Learn helps kids learn how to read, develop math and phonics skills and prepare them for classroom success.

Moreover, Ready To Learn is closing the achievement gap. Studies show that the achievement gap exists before kids go to kindergarten, so children (especially low-income children) need to be reached before they set foot in the classroom. Investing in early education of low-income kids has huge returns, including success in college, higher income and lower incarceration rates.

America prides itself as the land of opportunity. It’s our duty to make sure our youngest learners have the tools they need to thrive – to make our country smarter and stronger.

Please call your Senators today and tell them to OPPOSE eliminating Ready To Learn.