PBS accounts for nearly half of first graders’ most frequently watched educational TV and video programs
- Written by Rebecca Dore, Director of Research of the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, The Ohio State University

The Role of PBS
This peer-reviewed study didn’t break down our results by specific media outlets. But in light of the cessation of federal funding, I wanted to find out how much of the educational content that children watch comes from PBS.
By revisiting our data with this objective in mind, I learned that PBS accounted for 45% of the educational TV or videos parents said their kids watched most often. This makes PBS the top source for children’s educational programming by far. Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. was in second place with 14%, and YouTube, at 9%, came in third.
PBS accounted for a smaller portion, just 6%, of all educational apps and games. I believe that could be because a few non-PBS apps, like Prodigy and i-Ready, which can be introduced in school, dominate this category.
‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,’ a cartoon, will seem familiar to anyone who grew up watching ‘Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.‘An Uncertain future
Independent production companies collaborating on programming with PBS consult experts in child development[14] and children’s media and conduct research throughout the production process to see how children respond and learn, often in partnership with PBS KIDS.
This rigorous production process can include observing children watching the show, conducting focus groups and surveying parents about their experiences. It requires a lot of time and money to produce this kind of thoughtfully crafted educational media[15]. This process ensures that the programming is both fun for children and helps them learn.
What the end of federal funding will mean for PBS’ educational programming for kids is still unclear. But to me, it seems inevitable that my children – and everyone else’s kids – will have fewer research-informed and freely accessible options for years to come.
At the same time, there will likely be no shortage of flashy and shallow content[16] marketed to kids that offers little of value for their learning.
References
- ^ CC BY-ND (creativecommons.org)
- ^ Congress voted in July 2025 to claw back US$1.1 billion (theconversation.com)
- ^ crucial role in producing educational TV programs (theconversation.com)
- ^ 15% of its budget (www.nytimes.com)
- ^ planned program cuts (calmatters.org)
- ^ Sesame Street (www.npr.org)
- ^ Wild Kratts (www.imdb.com)
- ^ Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (www.imdb.com)
- ^ educational programming and other resources for schools (wosu.pbslearningmedia.org)
- ^ families (www.pbs.org)
- ^ child development researcher (scholar.google.com)
- ^ a study about the kinds of media kids consume (doi.org)
- ^ Neilson Barnard/Getty Images (www.gettyimages.com)
- ^ consult experts in child development (www.zerotothree.org)
- ^ thoughtfully crafted educational media (www.edsurge.com)
- ^ flashy and shallow content (www.washingtonpost.com)
Authors: Rebecca Dore, Director of Research of the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, The Ohio State University