Apple TV+ Unveils Kids’ Changemakers Initiative

Apple TV+ has launched a kids’ changemakers initiative that brings education leaders together with storytellers to create inspiring and enriching original kids’ series.

The initiative encourages imagination, self-confidence and critical thinking through Apple original series, including Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning Stillwater; Hello, Jack: The Kindness Show; Get Rolling with Otis; Doug Unplugs; and Pretzel and the Puppies.

For its most recent series, Pretzel and the Puppies, Apple TV+ partnered with Tony Wagner, Ed.D., senior research fellow at the Learning Policy Institute and author of Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. Wagner worked with showrunner Steve Altiere, the executive producers and HarperCollins to develop the series and infuse lessons on the importance of asking questions and innovating to find new solutions to problems.

Stillwater was created in collaboration with Mallika Chopra, author and CEO of Chopra Global, a health company at the intersection of science and spirituality. The creators of Stillwater and Chopra worked together to imagine and deliver a series that teaches children how to be more mindful and meditative and how to slow down to make thoughtful, empathetic decisions.

Additional educators that Apple TV+ is collaborating with are Nichole Pinkard, Ph.D.; Michele Borba; Junlei Li, Ph.D.; Cathy Davidson, Ph.D.; Christina Katopodis, Ph.D.; John F. Evans; Lucy Calkins, Ph.D.; Gail F. Melson, Ph.D.; Kate Robinson; Tovah Klein, Ph.D.; Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D.; and Dan Siegel, M.D.

“As we continue to expand our slate and partner with today’s world-class storytellers, we are so inspired by our collaborations with an exceptional group of changemakers who are passionate about giving kids the tools they need to leave the world a better place than they found it,” said Tara Sorensen, head of kids’ programming at Apple.