Charlotte screening of early childhood education documentary

PBS NC

PBS North Carolina is hosting a free screening of "Make a Circle" June 27 at Project 658 Center on Central Avenue.

PBS NC is highlighting the impact of early childhood educators in a documentary.

The public broadcaster will host a free screening of “Make a Circle” on June 27 at Project 658 Center, 3646 Central Ave. The screening will feature panel discussion, question and answer session and a resource fair. Registration is online at Eventbrite.

“Make a Circle” was created to highlight the critical role of early childhood educators and their impact on the lives of children, their well-being and education equity. Attendees will receive a certificate for two contact credit hours recognizing their engagement.

Lauren Pyle, director of children's media and education engagement for PBS NC, said the documentary has been described as a love letter to early childhood education with an inside look at the professionals who teach and advocate for kids and their families.

“The pieces that we might not see whenever I’m at work during the day, when my daughter is at school with her early childhood teachers, I don't get to see the ins and outs of just all that they are providing for her,” she said. “‘Make a Circle’ provides that lens of what it's like in the world of an early childhood provider.” 

PBS NC’s mission is to educate and provide support to communities across North Carolina, which Pyle said aligns with the public screening.

“Whenever a provider can see themselves on a screen just like a child, whenever we see ourselves in content, we feel valued, loved and supported. It provides a convening within the documentary, and we get to provide a convening in person in Charlotte,” she said.

The event is also intended to remind audiences that early childhood education affects everyone, not just educators.

“The first five years of a child's life are critical. That’s the most rapid brain development happening,” Pyle said. “It’s valuable. We're all stakeholders in early childhood, whether we realize it or not. The way that we are tuned in to the needs, the opportunities, and just the critical value of an early childhood provider, we should all lean in to care because they are equipping and loving and supporting and providing for our future through their early childhood classrooms.”

In addition to the documentary, attendees will have a chance to connect with local organizations during a resource fair and hear from early childhood leaders at a panel discussion.

“We at PBS North Carolina value early childcare providers and just how critical that role is,” Pyle said. “Our whole organization sees, understands and values early childhood providers and the families and children that they support every day,” Pyle said. “You're going to get connection. You're going to get information.”

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