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Make a Circle Screening & Discussion / Exhibición y discusión de “Make a Circle”

Join WXXI and Monroe Community College (MCC) for a special screening and community conversation around the film, Make a Circle, at the MCC Downtown Campus on Wednesday, April 8. This engaging evening will bring community members together to reflect, connect, and explore the film’s themes in a welcoming space.

Únase a WXXI y a Monroe Community College (MCC, por sus siglas en ingles) para una exhibición especial y una discusión comunitaria en torno a la película “Make a Circle”, que tendrá lugar en el campus del centro de la ciudad de MCC el miércoles 8 de abril. Esta interesante tarde reunirá a miembros de la comunidad para reflexionar, conectar y explorar los temas de la película en un espacio acogedor.

Event program: Doors will open at 6 p.m. The screening of the film, Make a Circle, will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion at 7:30 p.m. The panel will feature local early childhood professionals including: Ann Marie Stephan (Executive Director of Rochester ChildFirst Network), Tiffany Howard (Early Childhood Professional at Friendship Children’s Center), and Crystal Campo (Family Child Care Provider). And, the panel will be moderated by WXXI News Reporter, Noelle Evans. The evening will also include a community resource fair with local, regional, and New York State early learning partners. Light refreshments will be provided.

Programa del evento: Las puertas se abrirán a las 6:00 p. m. La exhibición de la película “Make a Circle” comenzará a las 6:30 p. m. e irá seguida de un panel a las 7:30 p. m. El panel contará con la participación de profesionales locales de la primera infancia, entre los que se incluyen: Ann Marie Stephan (Directora Ejecutiva de Rochester ChildFirst Network), Tiffany Howard (profesional de la primera infancia en el Friendship Children’s Center) y Crystal Campo (proveedora de cuidado infantil familiar). Además, el panel estará moderado por la reportera de WXXI News, Noelle Evans. La tarde también incluirá una feria de recursos comunitarios con socios locales, regionales y del estado de Nueva York dedicados al aprendizaje temprano. Se ofrecerán refrigerios ligeros.

Family-Friendly: To help make this experience more accessible for adults with young children, a family-friendly viewing space will be available. Adults will need to stay with their children at all times.

Apto para familias: Para que esta experiencia sea más accesible para los adultos con niños pequeños, habrá un espacio apto para familias. Los adultos deberán permanecer con sus hijos(as) en todo momento.

Please register using the form below. All registered participants will receive a follow-up email with confirmation and additional event details.

Inscríbase utilizando el formulario que aparece a continuación. Todos los participantes inscritos recibirán un correo electrónico de confirmación con los detalles adicionales del evento.

The screening and discussion are free and open to the public but registration is required.

La exhibición y la discusión son gratuitos y abiertos al público, pero es necesario inscribirse.

Make a Circle Screening Event

Join WXXI and Monroe Community College for a special screening and community conversation around the film, Make a Circle. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please use the form below to register. Questions? Contact Rachel Rosner at RRosner@wxxi.org

Full Name / Nombre completo(Required)
What is your connection to child care or early learning? / ¿Cuál es su relación con el cuidado infantil o la educación temprana?(Required)
Check all that apply. / Marque todas las opciones que correspondan.
Will you be bringing children to the event with you? / ¿Traerá niños(as) al evento?(Required)
Families with young children are welcome. A designated family-friendly viewing area will be available, along with a kid-friendly activity space to support participation. Please note that this is not a drop-off event—children must remain with their caregiver at all times. Las familias con niños(as) pequeños(as) son bienvenidas. Habrá una zona de exhibición ideal para familias, así como un espacio de actividades para niños(as), con el fin de facilitar su participación. Tenga en cuenta que este no es un evento en el que se pueda dejar a los niños(as) solos(as): los niños(as) deben permanecer con su cuidador en todo momento.
Are you interested in receiving professional development credit for attending this event? / ¿Le interesa obtener créditos de desarrollo profesional por asistir a este evento?
If yes, please indicate whether you are requesting NYS Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) credit, ASPIRE credit, or both. En caso afirmativo, indique si solicita créditos de Educación Continua para Maestros y Líderes del Estado de Nueva York (CTLE, por sus siglas en inglés), créditos ASPIRE o ambos.
As New York State moves toward universal child care and expanding access to prekindergarten, what questions do you have about the future of these efforts and what they will mean for children and families across Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes? / A medida que el estado de Nueva York avanza hacia el cuidado infantil universal y la ampliación del acceso al preescolar, ¿qué preguntas tiene sobre el futuro de estas iniciativas y qué significarán para los niños(as) y las familias de la zona metropolitana de Rochester y los Finger Lakes?
Please let us know if you or anyone in your party requires accommodations to fully participate in this event (e.g., ASL interpretation, language translation, mobility access, sensory considerations, etc.). We are committed to accessibility and will do our best to support your needs. For any questions regarding the accessibility of this event, please contact Sarah Murphy Abbamonte at sabbamonte@wxxi.org. Por favor, háganos saber si usted o alguna persona de su grupo necesita adaptaciones para poder participar plenamente en este evento (por ejemplo, interpretación en lengua de señales americana, traducción, accesibilidad para personas con movilidad reducida, adaptaciones sensoriales, etc.). Estamos comprometidos con la accesibilidad y haremos todo lo posible para satisfacer sus necesidades. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre la accesibilidad de este evento, póngase en contacto con Sarah Murphy Abbamonte en sabbamonte@wxxi.org.

About the Film

From an award-winning filmmaking team, Make a Circle follows a group of child care providers who are determined to change how society values the education of its youngest citizens. With a mix of humor, outrage, and passion, Make a Circle captures the unfolding stories of Patricia, a leader of a new union for child care providers, as she fights on behalf of a largely immigrant workforce; Charlotte, another union member who tirelessly lifts up the low-income families in her care; and Anne, the director of a large preschool, who finds novel ways to value and support her teachers when jobs at Starbucks are offering higher pay. Within their stories are interludes that offer a cinematic glimpse into the unique, imaginative world of the young children in their care. The film culminates as thousands of child care union members march on their state capitol demanding better working conditions, just as their contract is set to expire. Weaving together the magic they create in the classroom, the struggles they endure at home, and their unwavering activism for their profession, Make a Circle is a moving portrait of life as an early childhood educator and a promising blueprint for fixing our broken child care system.

Educator Webinar: Teach the Declaration’s Global Impact Using Media and Artifacts On-Demand

When: Wednesday, March 25, 7-8pm ET

Description:

Join PBS LearningMedia and the Museum of the American Revolution as we share new classroom resources for teaching the lasting influence of the American Revolution. Participants will explore how the Declaration of Independence’s impact extends beyond 1776 and the United States and continues to inspire global citizens today.

PBS LearningMedia will investigate the importance of the Declaration of Independence in the Revolutionary Era through the Ken Burns in the Classroom The American Revolution Collection, followed by a walkthrough of the Museum of the American Revolution’s new exhibit, The Declaration’s Journey, and a discussion of the Declaration’s global impact. You will leave with a deeper understanding of the consequences and legacies of the Revolutionary Era and ideas for sparking curiosity within your students as they connect the past to the present. From March 25, 2026.

Watch the Webinar On-Demand

Organized by PBSLearningMedia Events

On-Demand America 250: Engaging Students with History, Media & Civic Voice Educator Webinar Archive

Description:

Watch the archive to discover classroom-ready civics resources to support teaching the America 250 anniversary in this fast-paced virtual resource slam and Q&A. From Wednesday, March 11, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

What you’ll do

  • Explore a wealth of resources from leading education organizations, including: Center for Civic Education, Facing History & Ourselves, KQED, National Writing Project and PBS LearningMedia.

What you’ll get

  • Practical ideas and resources you can use right away to teach this landmark anniversary
  • A copy of the presentation deck

Watch
Presentation Deck

Organized by KQED Education Events

Educator 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution NYS Resource Guide from the NYS Education Department

More About The American Revolution NYS Resource Guide from the NY State Library: To support this statewide initiative, the Office of Standards and Instruction at the New York State Education Department has developed the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution Resource Guide, a comprehensive instructional resource designed to help educators explore the complex and inspiring history of the Revolution and the founding of the nation. 

It features interdisciplinary, standards-based learning experiences, including adaptable resources, instructional prompts, and project-based learning ideas. A defining feature of the guide is its emphasis on experiential learning, with each instructional prompt paired with opportunities for students to engage directly with New York’s rich collection of Revolutionary War sites.

The resource also aligns with NYSED’s strategic priorities, including the Portrait of a Graduate, by fostering critical thinking, creativity, and real-world problem solving. At the high school level, the activities are further connected to the Seal of Civic Readiness, reinforcing civic engagement.

Primary sources make lessons and presentations come alive for students or participants. Materials shared provide inquiry and context clues to increase awareness and tell a story. Historical context within a narrative of primary source items prepares students to make connections for deeper understanding. 

Educator Webinar: 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution NYS Resource Guide Webinar

When: Tuesday, March 10, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Description: As part of Civic Learning Week 2026, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) will host a webinar on the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution New York State Resource Guide

The webinar will explore how to use the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution New York State Resource Guide to support interdisciplinary, standards-aligned instruction and civic engagement.

The guide includes instructional prompts, project-based ideas, and experiential opportunities tied to New York’s Revolutionary history.

All educators across grade levels and content areas are encouraged to attend.

Register

For questions, contact the Office of Standards and Instruction at P12StandardsInstruction@nysed.gov.


Learn more about the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution NYS Resource Guide

Phoebe & Jay • WXXI-TV & WXXI PBS KIDS 24/7

This new animated series for children ages 3-5 follows the adventures of 6-year-old fraternal twins Phoebe and Jay Yarber, who live with their family in the fantastical Tobsy Towers.

Phoebe & Jay airs weekdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on WXXI-TV and on the Live Stream, weekdays at 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on WXXI PBS KIDS & Live Stream and anytime on the PBS KIDS Video app

Whether using a flyer to help a neighbor find a lost pet, reading clothing labels to find the right size shirt, or using a chore chart to tidy up before a surprise guest arrives, Phoebe and Jay model for young viewers how they, too, can use various kinds of texts kids see in their everyday lives to develop important life skills and engage with others in their family and community.

At the heart of “Phoebe & Jay” is a curriculum highlighting the importance of developing preschoolers’ functional “everyday” literacy skills, empowering them to use and create a variety of functional texts in the world around them to tackle challenges and accomplish tasks in their daily lives. Texts might be written, visual, auditory, or haptic and may include lists, labels, signs, sounds and vibrations, instructions, menus, icons and symbols, and tactile text like braille. The series also supports the development of foundational executive function skills like focused attention, impulse control, flexible thinking, working memory, and task persistence that help the characters read and find meaning in the texts they encounter.

Explore the Phoebe & Jay PBS KIDS site for videos and games.
Learn More About the Series & Resources at the PBS KIDS for Parents Series Page

Phoebe & Jay PBS LearningMedia Collection

PBS Books: Filmmakers Talk of The American Revolution Series On-Demand


Join Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, Geoffrey C. Ward and Rick Atkinson for a powerful PBS Books Filmmaker Talk about The American Revolution — the groundbreaking series that examines how America’s founding struggle reshaped the world. Hosted by Lauren Smith, the conversation explores the themes and creative process behind this epic documentary series.

Check your local PBS listings or stream The American Revolution anytime on the PBS App.

Learn more at pbsbooks.org/theamericanrevolution

Watch the on-demand PBS Books interview from January 7, 2026

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