Using the Core of Public Media's Mission to Serve Children and Families from Latine Communities in the U.S. during the COVID-19 Pandemic 1

COVID-19 profoundly impacted early childhood education and deepened the digital divide in Latine communities already struggling to access technology and educational media. In cities and towns across the country, minority and low-income students and families were disproportionately impacted by the switch to remote learning, as many of them lacked internet access or even access to a computer or tablet. These disparities are most pronounced along racial, socioeconomic, and gender lines. By tapping into the power of public media, Public Broadcast Services (PBS) SoCal|KCET leveraged media-based resources to address the local needs of vulnerable Latine families and communities, to address access to technology and educational media. This chapter presents PBS SoCal|KCET as a case study of what local public media stations did to address new educational needs created by the COVID-19 crisis.