[Sacramento, Calif.] – In the latest move by the Newsom Administration to expand educational opportunities, pre-kindergarten through second grade students now can access award-winning STEM learning tools in English and Spanish through PebbleGo Science online resources from Capstone.

PebbleGo Science is the newest online resource the State Library provides to public schools and libraries. These resources, which include Britannica, National Geographic for Kids and the PBS Video Library, have logged more than 515 million unique investigations and searches since the services were launched in the fall of 2018. Aligned to the state’s Next Generation Science Standards, PebbleGo Science engages young children with narrated text, animated highlighting, easy-to-read articles, games, and educational videos to teach students about math, engineering, technology and life, earth and space science as the students learn to read. Public schools also have access to 50 online interactive science eBooks in English and Spanish that can be used in the classroom or through the local library.

“This is the first time we have specifically provided online tools that include pre-kindergarten learners. We did this with the support of teachers and school librarians who know the value of starting the journey of lifelong learning sooner rather than later,” said California State Librarian Greg Lucas. “Offering easy online access to every California kid is a matter of equity – and a smart way to create more strong readers and critical thinkers, which benefits everyone.”

Capstone, a publisher of children’s books, literacy programs and digital products, joins four other educational-content providers — Britannica, TeachingBooks, Gale, and ProQuest – in providing two dozen online resources to all public schools and libraries, at no cost to the local entities.

Access to these educational-content platforms is provided by the K-12 Online Resources program, a joint effort between the California State Library and the Riverside County Office of Education to further California student success. PebbleGo Science was specifically added to the collections to address early learning in science and math for very early grades.

“Capstone is honored to partner with the California State Library system to help support early literacy and STEM content for students with our teacher trusted digital resources,” said Randi Economou, Capstone CEO. “PebbleGo and Capstone Interactive eBooks engage learners with rich informational text, providing a high-quality learning experience to help students succeed. We’re excited to partner with California educators, students, and families to support the great teaching and learning happening in the state and align to our mission of helping kids succeed by making learning fun.”

Capstone can provide online training and is holding its first webinar for educators on January 17, 2024, at 3 p.m. Attendees will learn about this educational supplemental content from PebbleGo Science and how to use it for young learners. Those interested in the January 17 webinar can register in advance.

About the State Library
Established in 1850, the California State Library is the central reference and research library for state government and the Legislature. The library collection includes more than 4 million titles, 6,000 maps and 250,000 photographs, and includes an extensive collection of documents from and about the state’s rich history. Around the state, the State Library also serves California’s local libraries, providing more than $500 million state and federal funds to support public libraries and delivering statewide library programs and services.

In addition to acting as a steward of California’s history, the State Library supports programs and initiatives in California’s local libraries through partnerships and services. The Library has partnered with California State Parks to offer free Parks Passes in public libraries for checkout and with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to bring books to every California child under the age of 5. The Library supports a variety of workforce development and upskilling resources for all Californians through CAreer Pathways in their local public libraries, and is building a statewide eBook library with diverse titles in 20+ languages. State Library Website  

About Capstone
Capstone is the nation’s leading educational publisher of K-5 digital solutions, children’s books, and literacy programs for school libraries, classrooms, and at-home reading. Through print books, interactive eBooks, or the curriculum-connected learning tool PebbleGo™, Capstone has a passion for inspiring students to learn and their communities to thrive. As a publisher of content for children, Capstone embraces the responsibility to celebrate and share the diverse voices and perspectives of our readers and communities. Capstone supports great teaching and learning with engaging content that values the work that educators do every day—helping students succeed. CapstonePub.com #LearningIsForEveryone