Nine PBS Received $11.1 Million Federal Literacy Grant

The funding supports a literacy program for children ages 2 to 8 after the prior grant was terminated in 2025.

Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Education — General

Nine PBS Received $11.1 Million Federal Literacy Grant

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Nine PBS has secured $11.1 million in federal funding through the Ready to Learn program to support the Everyday Literacy Alliance. This grant marks a fresh start for the initiative, which aims to boost literacy skills among children ages 2 to 8 across the country.

Why it matters

The grant enables Nine PBS to relaunch educational efforts after the U.S. Department of Education terminated previous funding last year. It provides a vital resource for producing media aimed at improving learning outcomes for children in low-income communities.

The $11.1 million grant covers the first year of a five-year cycle and targets 90 new media products. Nine PBS previously returned $30,000 following the termination of a prior grant in May 2025.

The players

Nine PBS

This St. Louis-based public media organization is the primary recipient of the new federal grant funding.

Everyday Literacy Alliance

This collaborative group serves as the main vehicle for the new literacy initiative targeting young children.

U.S. Department of Education

This federal agency is responsible for overseeing the administration of educational programs and previously managed grant terminations.

E-Line Media

This technology developer created the Read It, See It platform intended to support early childhood literacy efforts.

The details

The initiative will distribute the Fredosaurus Rex media series and launch a new platform called Read It, See It, which was developed by E-Line Media. The project is designed to reach millions of children in low-income communities, with the potential for an additional $20 million in federal support depending on the alliance's success.

April 2020: Teaching in Room 9 debuted.
May 2025: The Department of Education terminated the previous 2020-25 grant.
January 2026: Congress approved $31 million for the Ready to Learn program.
October 1, 2026: The grant award was officially announced.

Culture Shift

The renewal of this federal funding highlights a shift back toward supporting digital public media as a primary tool for equitable early childhood education. This development reinforces the role of educational programming in addressing learning disparities that have persisted in low-income areas.

St. Louis families with children ages 2 to 8 will soon gain access to new media products and the Read It, See It platform designed to improve early literacy. These resources will be available as part of the five-year grant effort to support learning development in the community.

The takeaway

This funding provides a significant boost for public media to deliver high-quality educational content to young learners. Parents can look forward to new digital tools that are specifically designed to bridge literacy gaps at home.