PBS Kids Go! facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
PBS Kids Go!

Network	PBS PBS Kids
Launched	October 11, 2004 (2004-10-11)
Closed	October 7, 2013 (2013-10-07)
Country of origin	United States
Owner	PBS
Headquarters	Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Format	Afternoon programming block
Running time	2–3 hours
Original language(s)	English
Official website	(Redirects to PBS Kids)

PBS Kids Go! was a special part of PBS television. It offered educational shows for kids aged 6 to 8. This was different from PBS Kids, which focused on younger children. Most PBS stations showed the PBS Kids Go! block on weekdays. It usually aired in the afternoon, after school hours. There was also a PBS Kids Go! section on the PBS Kids website. This website had games, videos, and activities for older kids. The PBS Kids Go! brand was on TV and online for almost nine years. It ran from 2004 until it ended in 2013.

What Was PBS Kids Go!?

PBS Kids Go! was a programming block designed to provide educational content for elementary school-aged children. It aimed to fill a gap in educational TV for kids who were a bit older than the typical preschool audience. The shows helped kids learn about science, math, reading, and more.

How PBS Kids Go! Started

PBS noticed that most of its shows were for very young children. There were not many educational programs for kids in elementary school. So, PBS wanted to create shows for this older age group. The PBS Kids Go! block began on October 11, 2004. It launched with new shows like Maya & Miguel and Postcards from Buster. Older PBS Kids shows, Arthur and Cyberchase, also joined the block. These shows were already popular with slightly older viewers.

Plans for a 24/7 Channel

In 2005, PBS worked with other companies to create a cable channel called PBS Kids Sprout. This channel replaced PBS's first 24-hour PBS Kids Channel. Many local PBS stations then had an empty spot on their digital TV channels. In 2006, PBS announced plans for a new 24-hour digital channel. It was going to be called the PBS Kids Go! Channel. This channel would have shown more content than the afternoon block. It would include new shows and reruns of favorites like Wishbone and Kratts' Creatures. There were also plans for a Spanish-language block and other educational segments.

The PBS Kids Go! Channel was supposed to start in October 2006. However, local TV stations found the costs to carry the channel were too high. Not enough stations agreed to show it. Because of this, the plans for the channel were stopped. PBS later brought back a 24/7 PBS Kids Channel on January 16, 2017. This new channel also had an online live stream and video app.

Growing with New Shows and Online Fun

Even though the 24-hour channel did not happen, the PBS Kids Go! afternoon block continued. It aired on local PBS stations for several more years. The block added many new and exciting series. These included Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman, WordGirl, The Electric Company, and Wild Kratts. Some stations also showed other PBS Kids Go! programs on weekends. Examples were Design Squad and reruns of Wishbone.

As watching videos online became more popular, PBS created the PBS Kids Go! video player in 2008. This online platform offered video clips from many PBS Kids Go! shows. The videos changed weekly and linked to fun online games. This video player later became the PBS Kids Video app. Today, this app is a main way to watch free videos and full episodes of PBS Kids shows.

Why PBS Kids Go! Ended

On May 15, 2013, PBS announced that the PBS Kids Go! brand would end that fall. All shows from the Go! block were going to be part of a new, unified PBS Kids brand. PBS felt that their goal to reach older kids was successful. However, studies showed that people did not see a big difference between the PBS Kids Go! brand and the main PBS Kids brand. Many shows were popular with both younger and older kids. PBS Kids was rebranded on October 7, 2013. This happened when the show Peg + Cat first aired. With this change, PBS Kids Go! officially ended. All shows that started before or during the PBS Kids Go! block moved to the main PBS Kids block.

Shows on PBS Kids Go!

Here are some of the shows that were part of the PBS Kids Go! block.

• ¹ Premiered before the launch of PBS Kids Go!
• ² Only aired as reruns.
• ³ Continued premiering new episodes after the closure of PBS Kids Go!

Past Programs

Short Videos and Web Series

PBS Kids Go! also showed short videos and other small programs. These often played between full episodes or before the credits. Some examples included Cyberchase for Real and The Amazing Colossal Adventures of WordGirl. The WordGirl shorts later became a full TV series. Oh Noah! (first called Noah Comprende) also aired on TV and online. Like many PBS Kids shows, there were also live-action clips. These clips showed children talking about their lives, families, or topics related to the show. The PBS Kids Go! website also had special web-only series. These included Fizzy's Lunch Lab, Jim Henson's Wilson & Ditch: Digging America, and Chuck Vanderchuck's 'Something Something' Explosion. The website also hosted companion sites for shows like Kratts' Creatures and Zoom. Other educational websites, such as KidsWorld Sports and It's My Life, were also available.

Writing and Art Contests

In 2009, PBS started a writing and illustrating contest called the PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest. This contest continued an annual tradition that began in 1995. It was originally called the Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest. The competition was for children in kindergarten through 3rd grade. In 2014, the contest was renamed the PBS Kids Writers Contest.

See also

In Spanish: PBS Kids Go! para niños