The U.S. Department of Education has abruptly terminated the long-standing “Ready To Learn” grant, a move that will strip $23 million in funding from PBS children’s shows and educational initiatives nationwide. The decision, announced last week, is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reduce or eliminate federal support for public media, including both PBS and NPR.

The Ready To Learn grant, established in 1995 and renewed every five years, has historically funded the development and distribution of educational content for children, particularly those in underserved communities. Over the past decade, the program has provided more than $200 million to PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), supporting beloved shows such as “Sesame Street,” “Reading Rainbow,” “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” and more recently, “Molly of Denali,” “Work It Out Wombats!,” and “Lyla in the Loop”.

In the most recent fiscal year, Ready To Learn-funded content reached more than 1.8 billion video streams, 27.6 million digital game plays, 10.2 million television viewers, and 2 million mobile app downloads. The grant’s termination will affect programming at 44 public media stations across 28 states and the District of Columbia, pausing initiatives in both rural and urban communities.

The loss of $23 million in funding has created a significant shortfall, and stations have been instructed to stop work immediately on grant-supported activities. This means that new development, episodes, and related educational resources for “Sesame Street,” “Reading Rainbow,” “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” “Molly of Denali,” “Work It Out Wombats!,” and “Lyla in the Loop” are paused for now.

The Trump administration has justified the cuts by arguing that federal funding should not support what it characterizes as “biased and partisan” media, with officials specifically citing concerns over “woke propaganda” in some educational content. An executive order signed by President Trump in early May directed the CPB and other federal agencies to “cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS,” and to revise grant eligibility criteria to prevent both direct and indirect support for these organizations.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education indicated that the funding was being redirected away from “racial justice educational programming,” which the administration claims does not align with its priorities.

Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the CPB, strongly criticized the decision, highlighting the grant’s three-decade record of measurable, positive effects on children’s learning.

“Nearly every parent has raised their kids on public broadcasting’s children’s content. For the past 30 years, Ready To Learn-funded PBS KIDS content has produced measurable, real-world impacts on children’s learning,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. “Ready To Learn has received strong bipartisan support from Congress for the last 30 years because of the programs’ proven educational value in advancing early learning skills for all children. We will work with Congress and the Administration to preserve funding for this essential program.”

PBS KIDS Vice President and General Manager Sara DeWitt called the move “devastating,” noting that it removes a crucial resource for creating high-quality educational programming accessible to millions of children nationwide.

With the current grant cycle set to expire on September 30, public media organizations are scrambling to find alternative funding sources to sustain children’s programming. Congressional leaders from both parties have expressed concern about the cuts, but it remains unclear whether legislative action will restore the grant or replace the lost funding in time to prevent disruptions to educational programming.