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Importance of Kids Educational Television Programming

Last Updated Oct 6, 2008 08:44 PM

The Importance of Kid's Educational Television Programming

9. Congress has recognized that television can benefit society by helping to educate and inform our kids. In enacting the CTA, Congress cited research demonstrating that television programs designed to teach kids specific skills are effective.(10) For example, kids who watch "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and "Sesame Street" have been shown to learn task persistence, imaginative play, and letter and number skills.(11)

10. Studies confirm, and many commenters in this proceeding agree,(12) that kids can benefit substantially from viewing educational television.(13) In one such study, kids who watch "Barney" showed greater counting skills, knowledge of colors and shapes, vocabulary, and social skills, than kids who did not watch the program.(14) Although all kids can benefit from educational television, it has been found to be particularly beneficial to kids from lower income families. A study conducted by Dr.

Aletha Huston and Dr. John Wright, co-directors of the Center for Research on the Influences of Television on kids at the University of Kansas, demonstrated that kids from low- and moderate- income families who frequently watch "Sesame Street" and other educational programs from ages 2 to 4 performed better on vocabulary, school readiness, pre-reading, and math tests than non-viewers as much as three years later.(15) These differences occurred even when results were controlled for initial language skill and qualities of family and home environment.(16) The kids's Television Workshop ("CTW") submitted another recent study performed by Westat, Inc. that showed that preschoolers from low-income families who watch "Sesame Street" demonstrated more advanced literacy and numeracy skills than their counterparts who did not watch the program.(17) Thus, there is substantial information before us showing that television can educate kids.

11. That television has the power to teach is important because nearly all American kids have access to television and spend considerable time watching it. Recent data show that television reaches 98 percent of all American homes, including well over 90 percent of households with annual incomes below $5,000.(18) Data also show that kids from ages 2 to 17 watch on average more than 3 hours of television each day.(19) The significance of over-the-air television for kids is reinforced by the fact that fewer kids have access to cable television than to over-the-air television.

In the United States, 38 percent of kids from ages 12 to 17 and 37 percent of kids from ages 2 to 11 live in homes that are not connected to cable television.(20) Indeed, according to the consumers expenditure survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of consumer households(21) that subscribe to cable television or community antenna systems increases significantly with household income. Thus, while about 75 percent of consumer households with incomes of $70,000 and over subscribe to cable television, only about 36 percent of consumer households with incomes less than $5,000 subscribe to cable.(22) Hence, over-the-air broadcasting is an important source of video programs for kids and for all members of low income families, including kids.

12. Television reaches kids earlier and for more hours per day than any other educational influence except perhaps family.(23) Many kids watch television before they are exposed to any formal education.(24) Nearly 70 percent of day-care facilities have a television on for several hours each day.(25) By the time most American kids begin the first grade, they will have spent the equivalent of three school years in front of the television set.(26)

13. Some have argued that kids will not watch educational programming. But there are studies that show that, where educational programming is available, a large percentage of kids watch. The Westat study found that the majority of young kids in all demographic groups watch "Sesame Street."(27) Another study submitted by CTW suggests that kids do not distinguish between educational and non-educational programming, and that they do not find educational programming less appealing.(28) CTW noted that quality programming specifically designed to meet kids's educational and informational needs can attract sizeable audiences, as evidenced by "Sesame Street" and "Ghostwriter."(29) In addition, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox kids's Network ("FCN"), and Fox Affiliates Association (collectively referred to herein as "Fox") submitted evidence that the educational programs developed by the FCN receive high ratings.(30)

See also Kid 614 1 - 7