ASSET has partnered with the Qwest Foundation for several years to build a strong portfolio of early childhood educator services for Arizona educators. These services include face to face and online workshops for educators and in-home childcare providers with KCET’s A Place of Our Own/ Los Ninos en Su Casa, as well as reduced registration costs for PBS TeacherLine online courses such as “Raising Readers: Preparing Preschoolers for Success.”

Qwest Foundation funds have also supported stipend costs for Early Childhood Classroom Innovators. These classroom and agency leaders will support their colleagues in participating in the professional development offered by ASSET-Eight as well as integrate PBS on-air and online standards-based resources for teachers, parents, and children into their daily classroom activities.

Look for other ways the Qwest Foundation supports PreK-12 education:

• One Percent Program ­ Paying money back to school districts across the state

• Incredible Internet ­ Internet Safety for children, families, and educators

• Click here to learn more about the Qwest Foundation.

• Click here to learn more about the Early Childhood project.

The ASSET-Eight Classroom Innovators project is designed to meet the professional development needs of Pre K through Grade 12 educators within Title I and high poverty public and charter schools, as well as non-profit private schools. The project will support new online learners through the assistance of onsite experienced online learners known as Classroom Innovators. The ASSET-Eight Classroom Innovators project is also designed to meet the multimedia curricular integration needs of AZ classrooms by raising awareness of on-air recordable programs from Eight, online interactives from PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go!, online lesson plans from PBS Teachers, and additional materials from PBS Parents.

The ASSET-Eight Professional Development team will work with Innovators to design and deliver hands-on workshops for their site staffs by customizing these PBS resources to the site goals and academic needs. ASSET-Eight Classroom Innovators will also receive membership to Eight and ASSET. This will further promote the programming on air, and the educational connections to that programming. Additionally, a subscription to Generation-Eight PBS Kids Play will allow Classroom Innovators to integrate these resources in the classroom.

To learn more about applying to be an ASSET-Eight Classroom Innovator, please go to ASSET-Eight Classroom Innovators.

ASSET and Eight/KAET are a mirror site for Annenberg Media video services. Annenberg Media at Learner.org offers workshops, courses and almost 1,000 videos designed for educator professional development. If is free to create an account.

Annenberg Media uses media and telecommunications to advance excellent teaching in American schools. This mandate is carried out chiefly by the funding and broad distribution of educational video programs with coordinated Web and print materials for the professional development of K-12 teachers. It is part of The Annenberg Foundation and advances the Foundation's goal of encouraging the development of more effective ways to share ideas and knowledge.

Eight-ASSET, is proud to offer KCET’s A Place of Our Own on air, online and through face to face workshops for families and caregivers of young children across Arizona. Dedicated to the unique needs of people who care for children ages birth to five, A Place Of Our Own airs on Eight at 5 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The companion show for Spanish speakers, Los Niños en Su Casa, airs on Eight at 5 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Children are our future and parents and childcare providers are the first teachers they encounter. Equip yourself with the tools and knowledge to enrich kids’ lives and prepare them for school by watching A Place of Our Own/Los Niños en Su Casa.

A Place of Our Own/Los Niños en Su Casa training workshops with community partners for S*CCEEDS credit are available. Contact mary.dillon@asu.edu or kim.flack@asu.edu for more information, or call 480-965-1004.

The website for A Place of Our Own/Los Niños en Su Casa at www.aplaceofourown.org offers additional activities, expert and caregiver advice, informative videos, an episode guide and other resources.