PBS Kids is expanding its educational slate with the addition of a new family-led series. Phoebe & Jay Yarber are joining the network’s lineup with a program centered on helping young viewers strengthen their early literacy and reading skills.
The new series, which debuted on February 2, will follow the adventures of six-year-old fraternal twins, Phoebe and Jay, as they navigate adventures through their community and solve problems that arise in Tobsy Towers.
In an interview with Parents.com, two of the show’s creators, Genie Deez and Thy Than, spoke to the outlet sharing what viewers can expect and much more.
Deez shares how the show helps to support early literacy skills of viewers.
Deez: Phoebe & Jay is the first show to tackle [functional literacy], and so, we collaborated with a team of advisors to ensure stories and learning goals were developmentally appropriate.
Drawing on research in early childhood development, the show has been designed to support social-emotional skills, problem-solving, and imaginative thinking in preschoolers and young children. By blending engaging narratives with opportunities for reflection and discovery, Phoebe & Jay demonstrates how thoughtfully designed media can help children develop critical skills while keeping them fully entertained.
Than shares how the series provides both entertainment and educational value.
Than: When we craft a story, we begin with the twins having an adventure, playing, helping their neighbors – a relatable experience for our viewers. Along the way, they organically encounter everyday text. Then, they run into a problem! Phoebe and Jay use that everyday text they just learned to solve the story problem. Our viewers learn the text as the twins learn it.
Lessons and skills that both show creators hope viewers take away from the new series.
Deez: In Phoebe & Jay, we also model the thinking strategies that are useful in navigating the world more generally. Whether kids realize it while watching the show, they are also picking up on our learning goals [like] flexible thinking, working memory, impulse control, focused attention, and task persistence. It’s been fascinating to observe my own kiddos watch and copy Phoebe & Jay. Whether my oldest daughter, Marci, is reminding me to make a checklist like Grandma Annie, or bossing me to place her lunchbox into the appropriately-labeled cubby, or reminding me that sometimes I need to “wait for something great” (a regular phrase of our show), she is remembering and reiterating lessons learned while watching Phoebe & Jay.
Than: I hope the show encourages kids to be more curious about their neighborhood and helpful in their families and communities. We designed the show with co-viewing in mind with relatable adult characters, too. I hope the show encourages big kids to remember the wonders of being a kid and allow their kids some space to safely explore on their own.
Phoebe & Jay is now available to watch on PBS Kids. It is quickly becoming one of those shows that the entire family will enjoy.
