FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE           

November 11, 2015

For more information, contact:

Sue Brinson

Communications Manager

937-220-1657

sbrinson@thinktv.org

The Power of Preschool Premiering on Think^TV16

Is universal preschool a possibility in greater Dayton?

Dayton, Ohio…Can access to quality preschool make a difference in the life of a child or the future of a community?

Marsha Bonhart hosts The Power of Preschool, a look at the concept of universal preschool, how other cities have successfully mounted initiatives, and what a Preschool Promise program could look like in the Dayton region.

The Power of Preschool premieres Thursday, November 19 at 8pm on Think^TV16 with a simulcast online live-stream at http://www.thinktv.org/american-graduate/. Information about the documentary is available online using the live-stream address.

Community leaders and experts in the field of early education discuss the importance of access to quality preschool. Guests for the discussion include: Mindy Cline, Principal of Primary Village North; Michael Colbert, Montgomery County Assistant Administrator for Development Services; Bob Curry, Partner, Thompson Hine; Dr, Thomas Lasley, Executive Director, Learn to Earn;  Debbie Lieberman, Montgomery County Commissioner; Dr. Alonzo Patterson, Pediatrician, PriMed Physicians; Jim Spurlino, President and Owner, Spurlino Materials; Dr. Richard Stock, Business Research Group, University of Dayton and Reverend Vanessa Ward, Omega Baptist Church.  The program also features Jennifer Landrum, President and CEO of the Denver Preschool Program.

“We’re pleased to be able to bring part of this exciting conversation to our community, as our business and local leaders are increasingly seeing the connection between Kindergarten readiness and the long-term economic future of our region,” said Gloria Skurski, Think^TV Chief Content Officer and Director of Education.

Included in The Preschool Promise are excerpts from an upcoming documentary series, The Raising of America: Early Childhood and the Future of Our Nation http://www.raisingofamerica.org.

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About Think^TV

Think^TV (Think^TV16/WPTD in Dayton and Think^TV14/WPTO in Oxford) is the most widely used non-profit educational, cultural and informational resource in southwest Ohio, serving more than 750,000 viewers across the region as well as more than 100 school districts, 20,000 teachers and 400,000 students. Through PBS and local programming, thinktv.org, innovative multimedia curriculum projects, parent workshops and professional development for teachers, Think^TV provides rich and diverse resources to the Miami Valley. For more information about Think^TV visit www.thinktv.org.

Think^TV is a service of Public Media Connect (PMC), a regional public media partnership with CET, Cincinnati, serving more than 3 million people in Southwest Ohio. PMC’s mission is to strengthen the communities we serve through programs and services that inspire and inform, educate and engage, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning and the power of diverse perspectives