In July as of this year, the U.S. government officially cut funding for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), which ultimately affected Kids Public Broadcasting System, otherwise known as KPBS. This cut would officially take effect on September 30th with CPB (Corporate Public Broadcasting) officially announcing its shut down as of August 1st. With this comes the end of an era, one of which really has people who grew up watching KPBS looking back on their youth. Senior Natalia Gil shared her childhood memories of KPBS.
“Growing up, I used to watch “Wild Kratts”, “Arthur”, “Caillou” and “Clifford”. They were such a big part of my childhood. Programs like “Arthur” and “Clifford” helped me learn about friendship, problem-solving and kindness in a way that felt fun and easy to understand. “Wild Kratts” especially stood out because it sparked my curiosity about animals and science,” Gil said.
Accessible kids shows that stick with an audience are not created for monetization. They are created for the benefit of the kids and the enjoyment of others reflecting or watching alongside. While today’s society prefers entertainment in the form of “brainrot” or something to simply laugh at and have mindlessly playing in the background, Jared Phelps, the IB coordinator for BVH, says that is where the problem lies in educating children.
“You have got shows where it is like, this is a kid show, but the stuff that is happening is not particularly good. It is just random [stuff] that is happening on the screen. And so I feel like there is a need for very meaningful content that is not being made in the interest of making money, but in the interest of making good citizens. The feeling that I get when I see content on KPBS is that the purpose of it is to better our young people. The purpose is not to have a supermarket or show,” Phelps said.
As Gil reminisced about the old shows, she also noted the values she learned from them. Values which provided are vital for a child growing up and learning about the world around them. BVH Biology and Science Literary teacher, Jennifer Ekstein, took a similar approach with Phelps.
“I grew up with some of the most amazing shows and I think [the effect it has on kids will] be detrimental. Although a show shouldn’t be the main method of education, I really enjoyed the vibrant lessons from many of the PBS children’s shows that reinforced what I learned in school. It was just such a happy place, and for some children, a nice cathartic outlet,” said Ekstein.
Adding onto Ekstein, Gil shared that she was able to learn from a young age that mistakes were okay and that the show “Arthur” exposed her to real life scenarios early on. Coming back to the root cause of how funding cuts might affect the shows in the long run, Gil shares an important note about the whole ordeal.
“I think it is important to remember that KPBS shaped generations of children, including me, and cutting it off denies future kids those same opportunities. Defunding it might save money in the short term, but it hurts children’s development in the long run. Every child deserves access to quality, educational media and KPBS has proven it can provide exactly that,” Gil said.
Ekstein notes that KPBS was primarily targeted due to it being funded by taxes and donations. Phelps added that this might have been a major reason as to why it was defunded. It was simply easier compared to defunding another company. Despite the government’s motives and plans for the future, Ekstein touches upon the fact that KPBS had a major impact on her life and how she is normally perceived today.
“Some of my childhood is clearly defined by the shows I grew up with and they are incredibly memorable,” Ekstein said. “The great part of “Sesame Street” was that you learned your alphabet, colors, numbers, morals and ethics, and even learned about diverse cultures through song and puppetry. I even saw the Hebrew version called Shalom Sesame, where I learned the beginnings of the Hebrew language. “Mr. Rogers” taught us 80s kids how to be nice and neighborly, it’s a great ethics show.”
As the saying goes, nothing lasts forever. With the company looking towards a different outlet for funding, whether that is through private donations or not, Phelps leaves everyone off with an important message for what is next to come.
“I never watched “SpongeBob.” My kids never watched “SpongeBob”, but I know that there was a period of time where it was a big thing for everybody. And so when you remove something like KPBS, something else will fill that void. Whether it is “SpongeBob”, music, what kids hear from family, or what they hear at school. Something will replace that,” said Phelps.
