New York,
NY (May
17,
2006) --
Scholastic Media’s hit children’s television series Maya & Miguel™ was honored by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) with the 2006 ALMA Award for Special Achievement in Children’s Programming.
The award was given during a ceremony held May 7th at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. “The 2006 NCLR ALMA Awards” will air Monday, June 5 (9:30-11:00 p.m., ET/PT), on the ABC Television Network, with Eva Longoria (“Desperate Housewives”) as the host.
“One of the goals of Maya & Miguel is to enhance children’s understanding of the Latino community in a positive way,” said Deborah Forte, president of Scholastic Media and creator and executive producer of Maya & Miguel. “We are thrilled to accept such a prestigious award and we whole-heartedly thank the NCLR for recognizing and honoring Maya & Miguel as a pioneering program that strives to promote the value and importance of a culturally diverse society.”
Maya & Miguel made a stellar debut in fall 2004, quickly becoming the # 1 new show on PBS KIDS GO! and establishing an immediate and powerful connection with its audience. The series is designed to present culture and language learning as fun, relevant, and rewarding for all children, with a special emphasis on the Latino population. The goals of the series are to promote the value of a culturally diverse society, and to support English language learners through the presentation of language in a natural context with a special emphasis on vocabulary. Maya & Miguel is a broad-based Scholastic initiative comprised of television, print media, school and community outreach, dynamic Web sites at pbskidsgo.org/mayaandmiguel as well as scholastic.com, publishing, and a host of ancillary products including apparel, accessories and DVDs.
The ALMA Awards were created by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., in 1995 as part of NCLR’s strategy to promote fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of Latinos in the media and the enhancement of the Latino image in the entertainment industry. The show was named “ALMA” (Spanish for “spirit” or “soul”) to honor the determined spirit of the Latino community.
About Scholastic Media
Scholastic Media (SM) is a leading producer of quality, family-oriented content across multiple platforms, including feature films, television programming, videos, interactive products and web sites, and is a major developer and marketer of children's brands worldwide. Among SM's award-winning and top-rated productions are the animated series Clifford The Big Red Dog® (PBS KIDS®); the Emmy award-winning spin-off series Clifford's Puppy Days™ (PBS KIDS); I SPY (HBO Family); The Magic School Bus® (TLC), and the newest series Maya & Miguel™ (PBS KIDS GO!). SM's critically-acclaimed feature films include Clifford's Really Big Movie, The Indian in the Cupboard, and The Mighty. SM is also producing the forthcoming film His Dark Materials, based on the award-winning Philip Pullman trilogy, for New Line Cinema. SM is the entertainment and media division of Scholastic.
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site,
www.scholastic.com.