BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Lehigh Valley Public Media has halted some of its education programming because of President Donald Trump's executive order last week freezing funding to PBS and NPR.
The executive order and its fallout have forced LVPM staff to cancel a summer enrichment program that would have been available through Donegan Elementary School in Bethlehem.
It also canceled programming with local libraries, including in Lower Macungie Township and Allentown, said Cate Reifsnyder, director of education at LVPM.
About 1,000 local children have participated in LVPM programming funded by the Ready to Learn grant since October.Cate Reifsnyder, director of education at Lehigh Valley Public Media
The funding also allowed LVPM staff to help train early childhood educators through intermediate units, which provide regional education services.
Lehigh Valley Public Media is comprised of PBS39, 91.3 WLVR and LehighValleyNews.com. All three platforms operate out of the Univest Public Media Center on the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem.
The educational programing had been financed in part by a five-year, $200,000 Ready To Learn grant the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) awarded LVPM in 2019 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education.
Reifsnyder estimated $25,000 of that initial amount has been clawed back through Trump's order.
The CPB said it was informed late Friday by the Department of Education that the 2020-2025 Ready to Learn grant was being canceled. The CPB informed public media stations of the termination Monday.
About 1,000 local children have participated in Lehigh Valley Public Media programming funded by the Ready to Learn grant since October, Reifsnyder said.
'The heart of our mission'
LVPM Interim Chief Executive Officer Laks Srinivasan lamented the cuts to education resources.
The organization has worked to improve literacy in the region and help children develop life skills, Srinivasan said.
LVPM has started conversations with elected officials and its members to raise awareness about the role it serves in the community, he said.
"This is getting tied up in a broader conversation that's going on inside the beltway."Lehigh Valley Public Media Interim Chief Executive Officer Laks Srinivasan
"This is getting tied up in a broader conversation that's going on inside the Beltway," he said, referring to Washington, D.C.
Since 2020, LVPM has used Ready to Learn to team up with preschools, day care centers and other community partners to teach young children about career opportunities and the workforce.
The curriculum, called the World of Work, introduced children to the concept of trade, jobs that exist in society and the skills needed to perform them, Reifsnyder said.
LVPM's grant contributed toward supplies for the programs as well as part of the salary of an LVPM employee.
Along with paying for educational games, books and activities, the money went toward food for participating families, Reifsnyder said.
The goal, she said, was to not only educate children but to empower parents and other guardians about how to facilitate their kids' learning.
"It's just the heart of our mission," she said of the programming funded through the Ready To Learn grant.
"This is such an integral piece of what our mission has been."
'Essential programming'
The efforts in the Lehigh Valley have been supplemented by PBS KIDS shows, podcasts and online games that are funded by other Ready To Learn grants.
Those include the popular shows "Molly of Denali," "Work It Out Wombats" and "Lyla In the Loop."
“Ready To Learn has received strong bipartisan support from Congress and every administration for the last 30 years because of the programs’ proven educational value in advancing early learning skills for all children."CPB Chief Executive Officer Patricia Harrison said in a news release Monday.
At times, LVPM has worked as a pilot program for curriculums developed by PBS on topics identified by the U.S. Department of Education.
“Ready To Learn has received strong bipartisan support from Congress and every administration for the last 30 years because of the programs’ proven educational value in advancing early learning skills for all children," CPB Chief Executive Officer Patricia Harrison said in a news release Monday.
"We will work with Congress and the Administration to preserve funding for this essential program.”
Trump orders funding cut
The frozen Ready to Learn grants are part of Trump's assault on public media.
On Thursday night, Trump ordered that the CPB cut off funding to PBS and NPR, saying the organizations present biased news coverage on taxpayers' dimes in an era filled with robust, privately funded media options.
"Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter," Trump's executive order reads.
"What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens."
NPR Chief Executive Officer Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger rejected accusations of biased reporting from their organizations.
The CPB has sued Trump after he fired three of its five board members. The CPB contends Trump lacks the authority to fire board members of the independent organization.
About $1 million of Lehigh Valley Public Media's funding — about 20 percent — comes through the CPB.
Last week, Srinivasan acknowledged the funding loss would affect the organization, but said it's better positioned than other public media operations to withstand the cuts.
LVPM has more than $70 million in investments thanks to about $82 million it received in a 2017 FCC spectrum auction.
