Kerry Bartlett and Dr. Nivea L. Torres were featured on the premiere episode of Moonshot Radio.

Credit: Shannon Maitland

VERO BEACH – The Moonshot Radio has launched in Vero Beach. In collaboration with the Moonshot Literacy Moment of Indian River County, Planet Vero, and PNC’s Grow Up Great initiative, Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative is hosting a weekly radio show “where every moment is an opportunity to learn”.

Dr. Nivea L. Torres, Executive Director of Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative, hosts guests from around the community to engage in discussions regarding early childhood development, education, and literacy. Listeners are able to tune in every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on 107.9 FM, 101.7 FM and 1370 AM. Additionally, videos of all shows are available on Livestream: here and through the Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative, or KRC, YouTube Channel.

Dr. Torres notes that “as a clearinghouse of information surrounding early childhood development in Indian River County, Moonshot Radio serves as a platform to highlight local agencies, programs, and initiatives. Guest interviews will focus on important topics, provide clarity on issues, and invoke thought-provoking dialogue”.

Moonshot Radio’s premiere episode featured Kerry Bartlett, a founding board member of Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative. “The Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative was founded with the intention of addressing the gap that presently exists from birth to kindergarten. As a collaborative, we became increasingly concerned that many of our local children were not ready for kindergarten. We realized that we needed to start a birth and work with children and their families to ensure that they are successful in all critical domains before they reach kindergarten.”

Subsequent guests have included PNC’s Senior Vice President Tracy Sorzano, Early Education Expert Susan Roberts, KRC’s Community Engagement Manager Shannon Maitland, The Learning Alliance’s CEO & Co-Founder Barbara Hammond, KRC’s Board Chair & Former Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams, and Treasure Coast Community Health’s CEO Vicki Soule.

The radio will focus on the importance of early childhood education. The period between birth and age 5 contain critical stages in childhood development where billions of neuron pathways are being formed in children’s brains. Children develop the primary skills they will utilize for the entirety of their lives. Investing in this critical time can change the outlook of a child’s life and promote lasting prosperity for both the child and the community. This preparation goes beyond cognitive skills, such as knowing colors or shapes. Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative’s approach is more holistic and inclusive in nature focusing on five critical domains: social and emotional, physical health and well-being, cognitive, communication, and adaptive learning.

About KRC:
The Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative is a local nonprofit working with over 50 partner agencies to help prepare children and their families for school and for life. We proudly partner with the Moonshot Moment, transforming the next generation in Indian River County by having 90% of all students reading on grade level by the third-grade. For more information, visit the Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative website at https://www.krcirc.org/ or call 772-617-4350.

About PNC Foundation:
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. For more information, visit http://www.pncgrowupgreat.com.

This article was distributed through Treasure Coast Business, a news service for the readers and advertisers of Indian River Magazine.