PBS KIDS new series, "Phoebe & Jay" premieres February 2nd!

"Phoebe & Jay" is a new animated series for children ages 3-5 that is designed to support early literacy skills for preschoolers. The series showcases the various kinds of texts kids see in their everyday lives, from signs and posters to labels and movie tickets, helping them understand, navigate and participate in the world around them.

The series follows the adventures of 6-year-old fraternal twins Phoebe and Jay Yarber, who live with their family in the fantastical Tobsy Towers. 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 develop important life skills and engage with others in their family and community.

Behind the Scenes of "Phoebe & Jay"

Credit: PBS KIDS

Curriculum

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.

Watch on GPB and PBS KIDS!

Find fun intergenerational activity ideas that help kids build skills on the PBS KIDS for Parents website.