Brown Brings Academic Expertise to PBS Kids Animated Series

Typically, when we think of education faculty making a difference, the first image that comes to mind is in a school setting. But Jeffrey Brown, assistant professor in San Diego State University’s Department of Counseling and School Psychology, shows how his knowledge and expertise can make important contributions to other areas — such as children’s television.  

Brown’s work, as an educational advisor for the PBS Kids’ new animated series “Work it Out Wombats!,” was pivotal to creating a successful and comprehensible learning experience for children in the audience.
 
The show teaches children ages 3 to 6 cognitive skills, such as quantitative reasoning, through the lives of three little wombats — Malik, Zadie and Zeke —who live in a Treeborhood with their grandma. 
 
The aim is to provide kids an opportunity to familiarize themselves with basic life skills in an entertaining and fun way. The majority of the funding for the show came from the Ready to Learn Grant, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
 
“The show isn’t only to entertain preschool age children, but it’s also to help them learn skills that will help them in their education,” said Brown, a licensed psychologist whose research at SDSU focuses on the effects of discrimination on mental health, especially among LGBTQIA+ youth and youth of color. 
 
“Problem solving is a huge part of what the show is hoping to teach kids.  Essentially each episode has a lesson.”

Brown said the producers of the show wanted people with expertise on early childhood. 

“I made recommendations for how the stories could be improved based on the kids that age,” he explained. “I made sure the script was appropriate and understandable for kids.” 
 
Brown’s expertise on the trajectories of social emotional and cognitive functioning in youth were critical to his work. And his knowledge of child development and cognitive studies informed the detailed analysis conducted by the educational advisors working in the show.

“It was just a very enjoyable way for me to make an impact outside the classroom,” Brown said. “Work it Out Wombats!” was released on Feb. 6 and can be watched weekdays at 9:30 a.m. on PBS Kids.