I am still a PBS Kid.

As Jessica Michallick recently told KLRU, being visually impaired meant missing out on certain experiences, when she was in school.

“I didn’t get to participate in the science fair,” she recalls. “I didn’t get a chance to do experiments in school.”

It’s no surprise that this memory still stands out to her. One of Jessica’s favorite shows at the time was Bill Nye the Science Guy on her local PBS station.

“[It] just gave me such interest in science. I would do little experiments at home. My parents would always find weird things that I was freezing to see what would happen to them.”

At school, Jessica also experienced bullying from other students, but another PBS favorite, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, provided a sense of acceptance and belonging.

“[Mister Rogers] did a song called ‘It’s You I Like’...I felt like he was really my friend. Like I would communicate with him through the TV.”

Like Jessica, many of us still remember exactly how it felt to be bullied as kids—even decades after the fact. Furthermore, as parents, many of us are now guiding our own children through struggles with bullying.

Jessica is a member of KLRU today because she knows firsthand that PBS provides space for all children to feel care and respect—and to learn how to deal with differences.

Parents can count on KLRU for children’s media that communicates empathy and builds self-esteem—all without advertising. In fact, parents continue to rate PBS KIDS as the most trusted and safe channel for children to watch.

Today, Jessica is all grown up, but she hasn’t forgotten what a difference these programs made in her life.

“I am still a ‘PBS Kid,’” she says.