Community Impact

Since 1961 WETA has been a trusted partner in the D.C. community — a local touchstone for free, quality educational programming and activities. With deep roots in public education, WETA was founded to enrich the lives of the people of Greater Washington, and over the years we have developed educational resources that serve all local residents, including some of the most vulnerable and underserved. Learn more below about what we are doing and the impact we are having in our community.

Television & Radio Focused on Our Community

WETA PBS and WETA Classical 90.9 FM produce an impressive portfolio of television and radio programs especially for Washington-area audiences. From documentaries to performance specials, these programs explore the people, places and culture of our region, and highlight the best of the national capital area.

Local Productions

Educational Programs & Workshops

WETA is more than a television and radio station. We are also out in the community conducting educational workshops and programs for local students, parents, teachers and childcare providers of low-income children. Some of our current initiatives include:

Instructor and participants sit at a table during a WETA workshop.

Ready To Learn

WETA Kids' Ready To Learn program offers free literacy workshops, conducted in English and Spanish, throughout the national capital area.

PBS Student Reporting Labs journalists in front of Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Student Reporting Labs

Through PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, WETA partners with schools and after-school programs to train the journalists of tomorrow. Students build critical thinking, problem-solving, news literacy, media production and communication skills.

Father reading book to baby.

Where Literacy Begins

WETA Kids' Where Literacy Begins project provides workshops for parents and other caregivers of children from birth to three. Each workshop is based on the milestones of early learning, and focuses on how to best nurture young children's development.

Screengrab from Start With A Book website.

Start With A Book

WETA Learning Media's Start with a Book initiative features free resources designed to build literacy skills and ward off summer learning loss. As a companion to the project, WETA conducts trainings with caregivers of at-risk youth in Alexandria and Arlington.

WETA PBS Kids Writers Contest logo

WETA PBS Kids Writers Contest

Each spring, WETA Kids puts on a contest for K-3rd grade children in D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia to write and illustrate their own “books.” The top entries are recognized by the station online and through in-person events.

Adult woman reading with teenage girls.

WETA Learning Media: Local Education Stories

WETA Learning Media's Reading Rockets, AdLit, Colorín Colorado, and Brainline initiatives frequently highlight the work of Washington, D.C., area students, educators, and caregivers.

Online Projects

WETA's online projects highlight the Washington area community and offer valuable educational resources to its residents.

Screengrab from Brainline.org website.

Brainline.org

WETA Learning Media's BrainLine.org multimedia project provides information and resources to Washington's military community and others across the nation who are living with traumatic brain injury.

Boundary Stones Logo

Boundary Stones

WETA's local history blog uncovers the people and events of the past that have helped to shape our community.

Screengrab from ColorinColorado.org website.

ColorinColorado.org

ColorinColorado.org is WETA Learning Media's award-winning bilingual website that provides English language learning resources for parents and educators in Washington and across the nation.

Making a Difference

From helping to shrink the literacy gap for some of the youngest readers, to providing transformational education experiences for middle and high school students, and providing free, accessible bilingual learning resources, lesson plans and summer reading solutions, WETA is a true community partner in lifelong learning for the entire D.C. region. 

"WETA has saved my sanity and allowed me to feel like I have a connection with our world." - Sara, Beltsville, Maryland

For more information on how we are making a difference, visit our testimonials page, review facts and figures about our impact, and read our most recent WETA Report to the Community.

We Need Your Help

WETA can only do what we do with the help of local funding from individuals, foundations and corporations... and we need your support, too! Please help us continue to provide our local community with the best that public media has to offer – on TV, on the radio, online and on the ground.