Orlando, FL – Hundreds of families, kids, and caregivers joined WUCF for a Meet The Helpers Pop Up Event on Saturday, September 7 in Kissimmee. The free event focused on WUCF's Meet The Helpers series and included activities designed for children of all ages and their families, offering immersive experiences in emergency preparedness, democracy, and the world of work.
“Giving children an opportunity to interact in-person with Helpers and their tools is another way our station supports young children on their learning journeys.” said Jennifer Cook, WUCF Executive Director. “Engaging in the world of work, democracy, and emergency preparedness are all meaningful real-life experiences that will benefit families for many years to come.”
Children, and their families, met helpers from our community in person, experienced our Touch-A-Tool station, learned about elections and participated in the voting process at the Democracy station by casting a vote for their favorite PBS KIDS program to air on WUCF PBS in the Fall! Families can tune in to WUCF on September 27 at 9:00 am and 12:00 pm to see what program was chosen by our kid voters.
During the event, WUCF also launched It Helps To Know a skill building story for children. Based on the concept of Social Stories, It Helps To Know is an educational story that caregivers and educators can use to help neurodiverse and neurotypical children prepare for complex situations. The first story in this series is “It Helps To Know How to Call 9-1-1”.
Just in time for elections, WUCF's Meet The Helpers also introduced children to two new Helpers who support democracy and make information available for everyone:American Sign Language Interpreter and a Public Service Worker.
Designed to educate children ages 3-7 years, WUCF’s Meet The Helpers is a multi-platform initiative that introduces children to community helpers through video content, family activities, classroom resources and more.
WUCF’s Meet The Helpers Pop Up Event was presented in partnership with Hart Memorial Library and community helpers from the Kissimmee Police Department, Kissimmee Fire Department, NOAA, Orange County Supervisor of Elections, Osceola County Sheriff's Office, University of Central Florida, and more.
About WUCF
WUCF TV and WUCF FM are Central Florida’s premier sources of compelling content and community engagement. As the sole-service PBS member station for nearly 4.5 million residents across nine counties, WUCF TV fosters curiosity and learning through award-winning local shows like Florida Road Trip and NewsNight, as well as extensive PBS KIDS programming. WUCF Education has reached over 1.5 million people at in-person events and aims to engage children, empower caregivers, and support educators to build a community that helps change lives. With over 45 years of broadcasting from the University of Central Florida, WUCF FM is a leading source of jazz available both on-air and online. Both WUCF TV and FM are community-supported public broadcasting entities from UCF. Learn more at wucf.org.
WUCF MEDIA CONTACT
Julie Sochay, Director of Content
