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CHRISTINA: COMING UP NEXT ON "ARIZONA HORIZON," A RECIPIENT OF THE 42nd WALTER CRONKITE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM JOINS US TO TALK ABOUT HER CAREER.

>>> PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ON THE GROUNDBREAKING INTERVENTIONAL CARE SUITE.

>>> AND ARIZONA PBS CHILDREN'S ANIMATED SHOW.

THOSE STORIES AND MORE NEXT ON "ARIZONA HORIZON."

.

CHRISTINA: GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO "ARIZONA HORIZON."

I'M CHRISTINA ESTES IN FOR TED SIMONS.

IRAN HAS A NEW SUPREME LEADER.

MOJTABA KHAMENEI WAS NAMED TO REPLACE AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI.

HE WAS KILLED IN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES.

A SHIITE CLERIC WITH CLOSE TIES TO THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD.

PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID KHAMENEI WOULD BE AN UNACCEPTABLE CHOICE TO REPLACE HIS FATHER AND ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES WARNED HE WOULD BE CONSIDER A MILITARY TARGET.

>>> AMID THE CONFLICT, GAS IS SOARING, NATIONWIDE PRICES HAVE RISEN 17% SINCE THE ATTACKS BEGAN.

IT'S THE HIGHEST SINCE 2024.

>>> IN ARIZONA, THE AVERAGE PRICE OF GAS IS $3.85 A GALLON ACCORDING TO AAA, THE PRICE OF CRUDE OIL SURGED TO $120 PER BARREL AS OIL SHIPMENTS THROUGH THE VACCINATE OF HORMUZ HAVE COME TO A STANDSTILL AND REFINERIES HAVE BEEN ATTACKED IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

>>> MARIA RAMOS RECEIVED THE 42nd WALTER CRONKITE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM LAST MONTH.

THEY CO-ANCHORED ON UNIVISION FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS.

SALINAS SAT DOWN WITH TED SIMONS TO REFLECT ON JOURNALISM CAREER AND FORAY INTO PODCASTING.

>> MARIA ELENA SALINAS, UNIVISION, MY GOODNESS, WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THAT IN A SECOND.

THE WALTER CRONKITE AWARD AT ASU, THAT'S A BIG DEAL.

>> IT'S A BIG DEAL AND UNBELIEVABLE WHEN I RECEIVED THE E-MAIL A FEW MONTHS BACK, I HAD TO READ IT AND HAD TO TEXT JORGE RAMOS WHO I'M RECEIVING THE AWARD WITH.

DID YOU SEE THE E-MAIL AND I STARTED SEARCHING IT, AND SAID, OH, MY GOD, YEAH, WE'RE HONORED TO DO THAT.

ESPECIALLY REALIZING WE ARE THE FIRST LATINOS TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD, AND THAT IS A HUGE HONOR.

WE BOTH WORKED FOR OVER THREE DECADES IN SPANISH LANGUAGE MEDIA.

IT'S A RECOGNITION NOT ONLY OF US AND OUR JOB BUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

>> HOW SPECIAL TO RECEIVE THIS WITH A CO-ANCHOR?

>> EXACTLY.

WE WORKED TOGETHER SINCE THE EARLY 80s AND ANCHORED TOGETHER ABOUT 31 YEARS.

HE WAS AT ONE SHOW AND I WAS A DIFFERENT SHOW.

FOR BOTH OF US, OVER 40 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS, AND IT'S SPECIAL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE UNIVISION FOR MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS, BECAUSE WE WERE ANCHORING AT THE TIME WHEN WALTER CRONKITE, AT CBS, PEOPLE STILL WAITED UNTIL 6:30 TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD OR THEIR COMMUNITIES OR COUNTRY AND THE STATE.

DIDN'T HAVE THE 24 HOUR NEWS.

SO IT WAS SORT OF LIKE AN IMPORTANT MOMENT, AND YOUR CREDIBILITY WAS VERY IMPORTANT AT THE TIME.

THE TRUST THAT PEOPLE HAD IN YOU WAS VERY IMPORTANT AT THE TIME, AND WE WERE FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, TO TAKE THE LATINO COMMUNITY ON THIS ROAD FOR SO MANY YEARS THEIR WAS -- NEWS WAS SO HANDY ON THE CELL PHONE.

SO WE BOTH HAD A COMMITMENT TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY, NOT JUST HIM AND I BUT EVERYONE WHO WORKED IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA AND BEHIND THE CAMERA WHO WORKED IN SPANISH LANGUAGE MEDIA AND DID IT TOGETHER.

>> DID YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU WERE DOING WAS GROUNDBREAKING AS YOU WERE DOING IT, OR DID IT BECOME CLEARER ONCE YOU WERE DONE?

>> MAYBE NOT ONCE I WAS DONE, BUT WITH TIME I ABOUT REALIZE IT.

I THINK IN THE BEGINNING AND YOU KNOW THIS BECAUSE YOU ARE IN THIS BUSINESS, YOU ARE DOING SO MUCH AND HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO DO, EVERY SINGLE DAY THERE IS A DIFFERENT STORY OR DIFFERENT INTERVIEW OR NEW TECHNOLOGY, YOU ARE GOING AND GOING AND GOING AND NEVER STOP TO LOOK WINDOW AND SAY, WHAT AM I DOING?

WHAT IMPACT AM I HAVING?

ESPECIALLY AT THE TIME, WHEN YOU NEED RATINGS, THIS IS HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE WATCHING US, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT ABOUT THE INFORMATION.

ONCE WE STARTED RECEIVING THAT INFORMATION WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA CAME IN, STARTED GETTING FEEDBACK, WE REALIZED WHAT AN IMPACT WE WERE HAVING ON THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

I ALWAYS SAID THIS, BACK WHEN I STARTED THERE WERE 14 MILLION LATINOS IN THE U.S., NOW 68 MILLION LATINOS.

SPANISH LANGUAGE MEDIA WAS VERY SMALL, NOW IT'S A POWERHOUSE.

WE GREW HAND IN HAND, LIKE A SYNERGY.

THEY GREW BECAUSE WE HELPED THEM GROW AND THEY HELPED US GROW.

>> YOU WERE A PART OF THAT.

WHEN YOU WERE A KID, GREW UP IN L.A., DAUGHTER OF IMMIGRANT PARENTS, YOU SPENT TIME IN MEXICO AS A KID YOURSELF.

>> YES.

>> WHAT THE INSPIRATION TO GET INTO BROADCAST JOURNALISM?

>> I FELL INTO BROADCAST JOURNALISM AS AN ACCIDENT.

I WAS WORKING IN RADIO AND INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING, I STUDIED MARKETING, AND I THOUGHT, OKAY, TELEVISION.

SO MAYBE I CAN GET INTO THE ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT OR THE SALES DEPARTMENT.

WE SAID NO, NO, WE ARE HIRING YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE IN RADIO, AND WE WANT YOU TO BE ON CAMERA.

I WAS VERY SHY.

I HAD RADIO HAIR, THE CURLY HAIR.

IT WAS TOUGH IN THE BEGINNING BUT DIDN'T TAKE LONG TO REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT WAS GOING TO BE.

THIS NEW CAREER I WAS GOING TO EMBARK IN, AND I WENT TO UCLA EXPANSION AND ENROLLED IN CLASSES AND LEARNED MORE ON THE JOB BECAUSE I HAD TO DO STORIES EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND WE USED TO HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE PRESS CLUB IN L.A., AND REPORTERS WOULD RAISE THEIR HAND AND ASK QUESTIONS, AND I DIDN'T FOR THE FIRST YEAR, I SAID WHAT IF I ASK A DUMB QUESTION, AND THEY WERE ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS I WANTED TO ASK, AND I NEVER STOPPED RAISING MY HAND.

>> YEAH, THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, HOW DO YOU THINK THAT SHAPED WHAT DID YOU ON THE AIR?

>> THE COMMUNITY I WAS REPORTING TO I WAS PART OF.

I WAS, LIKE YOU SAID, DAUGHTER OF MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT WERE OUR AUDIENCE IN LOS ANGELES.

WORKING-CLASS FAMILY, I STARTED WORKING WHEN I WAS 14 YEARS TOLD HELP MY PARENTS PAY THE RENT.

LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE WE WERE REPORTING TO.

I WAS BILINGUAL AND BICULTURAL.

MY MOTHER DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH.

I HAD THE EXPERIENCE MANY PEOPLE WE WERE REPORTING TO HAD ALSO.

IN THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE ITSELF, EVERY IMMIGRANT HAS A STORY, A DIFFERENT STORY, AND A DIFFERENT SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT BRINGS THEM TO THIS COUNTRY, WHETHER IT'S LEGALLY OR NOT, AND, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO TELL THE STORIES.

I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE HAD OUR OWN EXPERIENCE, MY FATHER FOR MANY YEARS WAS UNDOCUMENTED.

NOT BECAUSE HE CROSSED THE BORDER ILLEGALLY, BUT IN THE 40s, IF YOU LEFT THE COUNTRY, YOU WOULD LOSE YOUR STATUS, AND HE MIGRATED IN 1943 AND BRIEFLY WENT TO MEXICO WHERE HIS FAMILY WAS AND HE LOST HIS STATUS AT TIME.

SO EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT STORY, AND I WAS A WITNESS TO HOW THE LATINO COMMUNITY WAS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS COUNTRY, HOW HARD THEY WERE WORKING.

THE EFFORT THEY WERE MAKING TO ASSIMILATE TO ACULTURATE.

IT'S INTERESTING WHEN YOU REPORT ABOUT THE LATINO COMMUNITY TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

YOU ARE PREACHING TO THE CHOIR, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO GIVE THEM THE INFORMATION THEY NEEDED TO ASSIMILATE IN THIS COUNTRY.

>> I COULD TALK TO YOU ALL DAY.

>> SORRY.

>> YOU ARE DOING GREAT.

OBVIOUSLY, YOU MOVED ON, DECIDED TO RETIRE FROM UNIVISION, YOU WENT TO ABC, CBS, YOU ARE ACTIVE HERE.

DO YOU MISS WHAT YOU DID AT UNIVISION, ESPECIALLY AT TIMES LIKE THESE?

>> HOW DO I ANSWER THAT?

I DON'T MISS UNIVISION OR WORKING IN A NEWSROOM BUT MISS COVERING THE TYPE OF STORY WE'RE WITNESSING RIGHT NOW.

THE TYPES OF OO -- WHAT WE ARE WITNESSING IN THIS COUNTRY AS AN IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY IS SOMETHING I WISH I COULD REPORT ON.

NOWADAYS, INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN LEGACY OR MAINSTREAM MEDIA.

SO DO I REPORT?

NO.

DO I SHARE STORIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

YES, I DO.

I'M DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK YOU CAN KEEP QUIET AT THIS TIME.

I DON'T THINK YOU CAN STAND BY AND NOT DO ANYTHING AND JUST BE AN OBSERVER.

AS JULTS WE CAN'T DO THAT.

WHETHER WE'RE WORKING FOR A MEDIA OUTLET OR NOT, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO USE OUR VOICES AND BECAUSE AFTER 40 SOMETHING YEARS OF WORKING IN THE MEDIA, I HAD A FOLLOWING THAT EXPECTS FOR ME TO SAY SOMETHING.

I HAVE TO ATTEMPT TO SAY SOMETHING, AND YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER TO ANY OUTLET.

I HAVE A BOSS THAT'S GOING TO FIRE ME IF THEY DON'T LIKE WHATEVER I SAY.

I CAN SAY WHATEVER I WANT.

IT'S FREEDOM.

>> YOU CAN ACCEPT AWARDS WHENEVER YOU WANT, THAT'S A STATEMENT IN AND OF ITSELF.

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN.

AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR STORY AND BEST OF LUCK TO.

>> YOU THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> YOU BET.

.

CHRISTINA: PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL RECENTLY OPENED NEW INTERVENTIONAL PAIN PROCEDURAL SUITE, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE WESTERN U.S.

THE SUITE IS DEDICATED TO PERFORMING ADVANCED PROCEDURES FOR CHILDREN WITHOUT SENDING THEM TO THE OR.

JOINING US IS A PAIN MANAGEMENT PHYSICIAN AT PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL.

THANK YOU FOR COMING IN.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY.

CHRISTINA: WHEN WE THINK ABOUT CHRONIC PAIN, PEOPLE THINK ABOUT OLDER PEOPLE, NOT NECESSARILY CHILDREN.

ONE IN FIVE LIVE WITH IT, TOO.

WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

>> AMAZING STATISTIC, BUT IT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE.

THE MAJORITY OF US THINK ABOUT OLDER POPULATION BEING IN CHRONIC PAIN, IT AFFECTS ONE IN FIVE KIDS AROUND THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW EVERY DAY, AND IT'S BECAUSE IT'S AN INVISIBLE DISEASE, WE DON'T SEE IT EVERY SINGLE DAY.

ANYTHING FROM CHRONIC MIGRAINES TO ABDOMINAL PAIN, CHRONIC POST SURGICAL PAIN OR GENETIC CONDITION OR CANCER ASSOCIATED PAIN, IT'S A RAMPANT PROBLEM.

CHRISTINA: HOW FREQUENTLY IS IT MISSED OR MISUNDERSTOOD?

>> IT'S A BIG ISSUE.

IT IS FREQUENTLY MISUNDERSTOOD.

PEOPLE ARE USED TO HEARING IT'S ALL IN THEIR HEAD OR ANXIETY, BUT US IN THE PAIN CLINIC KNOW IT'S A TRUE BIOLOGICAL DISEASE WITH A BIOLOGICAL PROCESS, AND WE HAVE GREAT INTERVENTIONS AND PROCEDURES TO TREAT PAIN, FROM A MULTIMODAL ASPECT, WE TRY TO CORRECT THE MISCOMMUNICATIONS THAT HAVE HAPPENED SO OFTEN IN THE MEDICAL SYSTEM.

CHRISTINA: YOU CREATED THE SUITE BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO HELP CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WHO DIDN'T HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE TO TURN BESIDE A SURGICAL PROCEDURE.

BEFORE THIS OPENED, WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATIONS WERE YOU HAVING WITH FAMILIES?

WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

>> YEAH, I JOINED IN ABOUT 2018 AND CAME TO THE VALLEY AND STARTED TO BECOME A COMPREHENSIVE PEDIATRIC PAIN MANAGEMENT PHYSICIAN FROM DAY ONE, AND STARTED INCORPORATING INTERVENTIONAL PAIN EARLY ON AND TREATMENTS AND THERAPIES AS PART OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY STRATEGY.

UNFORTUNATELY BECAUSE WE HAD TO TAKE CHILDREN TO THE OPERATING ROOM AND GO UNDER GENERAL ANESTHESIA IT WAS A LONG WAIT TO GET THEM INTO THE OPERATING ROOM AND GET THEM THE PROCEDURES THEY NEEDED TO FACILITATE THEIR CARE AND REHAB.

NOW WE HAVE THE DEDICATED ROOM WE CAN TAKE KIDS AND DO MINIMALLY INVASIVE NONSURGICAL INTERVENTIONS IN A SHORT WINDOW OF TIME.

WE TURNED IT AROUND FROM EIGHT TO TEN WEEKS WAIT TIME TO EIGHT TO TEN DAYS IN CASES.

CHRISTINA: WE'RE SEEING PHOTOS AND VIDEO.

YOU ARE SAYING IT FUNCTIONS LIKE A COMMAND CENTER.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT.

BUY IT THERE AND WHAT DOES AN ACTUAL VISIT LOOK LIKE?

>> IF WE DEEM SOMEBODY INAPPROPRIATE FOR INTERVENTIONAL PROCEDURE, WE'LL TAKE THEM TO A SEMI STERILE LIKE AN OPERATING ROOM BUT A LITTLE MORE COLORFUL.

CHRISTINA: YES, IT LOOKS A LOT BETTER.

>> IN THAT ROOM WE HAVE ADVANCED GUIDING AND C ARM THAT ALLOWS US TO EXAMINE THROUGH THE PATIENT, THROUGH THE TABLE, SO WE HAVE A GOOD GUIDE FOR NEEDLES AND ULTRASOUND THAT FINDS NERVES THROUGH THE BODY TO DO DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC PAIN RELIEF.

CHRISTINA: CAN YOU SHARE AN EXAMPLE, NOT ASKING TO YOU VIOLATE HIPAA, BUT SHARE AN EXAMPLE OF A PATIENT A BEFORE-AND-AFTER.

>> BEFORE WE HAD THE SUITE, IT MIGHT TAKE SIX TO TEN WEEKS TO GET INTO THE CLINIC TO HAVE AN EVALUATION, AND THEN ONCE WE DEEM THE PATIENT APPROPRIATE FOR INTERVENTION, MIGHT TAKE ANOTHER EIGHT TO TEN WEEKS TO GET THEM INTO THE OPERATING ROOM.

WE HAD A PATIENT WHO CAME THROUGH AND HE HAD A VERY OBVIOUS PROBLEM THAT WE COULD TREAT QUICKLY, EFFECTIVELY, AND THANKFULLY, WE WERE ABLE TO GET HIM INTO THAT PROCEDURE ROOM THE SAME DAY.

SO THIS WAS A KID SUFFERING FOR WEEKS.

HE WAS HUNCHED OVER, UNABLE TO AMBULATE OR PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITY, MISSING TONS OF SCHOOL.

WE EVALUATED HIM THAT DAY.

SOUGHT URGENT AUTHORIZATION AND THAT AFTERNOON WE WERE ABLE TO GET HIM TO THE OPERATING ROOM AND FEELING BETTER, NOT 100% YET BUT HE'S ON HIS WAY.

CHRISTINA: WHAT A GOOD DAY TO HAVE.

>> EXTREMELY REWARDING THING TO DO.

CHRISTINA: YOU HAVE WOVEN PAIN PSYCHOLOGY AND REHAB INTO THE PROGRAM.

>> YES.

CHRISTINA: HOW DOES THAT WORK IN PRACTICE?

>> ABSOLUTE STANDARDS OF CARE.

SHOULD BE IN THE ADULT WORLD TOO, BUT IT'S NOT.

IN PEDIATRICS WE TAKE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY OR MULTIDISCIPLINARY STRATEGY, WE EVALUATE ALL OUR PATIENTS WITH AN M.D.

SUCH AS MYSELF AND A THERAPIST THAT IS PAIN TRAINED AND IDENTIFY FROM THE PILLARS OF MEDICINE HOW TO INTERVENE TO GET THEM FEELING BETTER AND GET THEM BACK TO THE FUNCTION OF BEING A KID.

THAT MAY INVOLVE MEDICATIONS, COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND EDUCATION AND ALWAYS INVOLVES SOME REHAB, AND THE INTERVENTIONAL PAIN SPECIALIST LIKE MYSELF AND DR.

FLEMMING COME INTO DECIPHER AND FIGURE OUT WHAT UNIQUE PROCEDURES WE CAN GET THEM BACK TO REGULAR FUNCTION.

CHRISTINA: YOU SAID IT CAN BE EMOTIONALLY OVERWHELMING TO RELIEVE PAIN SO QUICKLY.

WHAT IT IT MEAN?

>> IF YOU CAN IMAGINE THE STRESS WHEN A CHILD IS DOWN AND OUT, UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN HANGING OUT WITH FRIENDS AND GOING TO SCHOOL, AND CAUSES A TON OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DISTRESS, DISTRESS IN THE FAMILY.

WE'RE ABLE TO ALLEVIATE THE PAIN AND FEAR AND ANXIETY OF THE UNKNOWN AND GET THEM FEELING BACK TOGETHER AND BACK TOWARDS THE BASELINE, IT GETS THE FAMILY OPERATING BACK SMOOTHER AGAIN AND GETS THE KIDS IN SCHOOL AND REHABILITATING AGAIN AND BEING A KID AGAIN.

THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT.

CHRISTINA: WE'VE GOT ABOUT 30 SECONDS LEFT.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PAIN SUITE?

>> MY GOSH.

IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS OR FAMILY THAT NEED PAIN MANAGEMENT, LET THEM KNOW THEY SHOULD SEE US AT PHOENIX CHILDREN'S.

YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT US ONLINE, WE HAVE A WEBSITE AND INFORMATION DEDICATED TO THE PAIN SUITE.

YOU CAN CALL THE CLINIC YOURSELF AND JUST ASK QUESTIONS, AND WE HAVE NURSES AND M.A.s THAT ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS OR FACILITATE THEM.

IF YOU NEED THEM, WE'RE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP.

CHRISTINA: THEIR SEAN GAMBLE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THIS IS A REMARKABLE STEP FORWARD FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.

THANKS FOR COMING IN.

>> APPRECIATE YOU.

.

CHRISTINA: SUMMER, A DOZEN LITERACY CAMPS, THE CURRICULUM THAT THE CAMPS WAS BASED ON ARIZONA PBS' ANIMATED CHILDREN SERIES SUPER WHY DESIGNED TO TEACH CHILDREN TO READ.

ROXANNE DE LA ROSA TELLS US MORE.

>> Reporter: IT'S A SPECIAL DAY FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING A SUPERWHY CAMP AT LITCHFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

EACH CHILD IS GETTING A TUB OF READING AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES TO TAKE HOME.

DENISE LUNDBERG IS EXCITED TO HOST THE THREE-WEEK READING PROGRAM AT HER SCHOOL.

>> IN MY EXPERIENCE, I HAVE NEVER FOUND ANYTHING LIKE THIS BECAUSE IT IS SO INTERACTIVE AND SO COMPREHENSIVE, AGAIN, WITH ALL LITERACY.

>> Reporter: RIGHT BEHIND THESE DOORS IS WHERE ARIZONA PBS STAFF MEMBERS PLAN AND PREPARE SUPER WHY LITERACY CAMPS IN TROUBLED AREAS LIKE LUKE, ARIZONA, EXPOSING YOUNG CHILDREN TO EARLY LITERACY SKILLS.

ARIZONA PBS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION KIM FLAG SHARES WHY THE CAMPS ARE VITAL TO THE COMMUNITY?

>> THE NEED IS THERE, AND NEEDING AND READING SKILLS ARE IN THE NEWS QUITE A BIT.

ARIZONA'S LITERACY RATE IS LOWER.

KIDS AREN'T NECESSARILY ENTERING SCHOOL READY TO KNOW HOW TO READ, THAT'S GOING TO HELP THEM BE SUCCESSFUL LATER IN LAUGH.

>> Reporter: THE GOAL IS TO OFFER MORE LITERACY CAMPS TO CHILDREN IN UNDERSERVED AREAS.

CHILDREN RECEIVE A NEW BOOK EACH DAY TO TAKE HOME.

TEACHERS ARE GIVEN ALL THE MATERIALS TO PLAY FUN GAMES AND ACTIVITIES FOCUSED ON HELPING YOUNG MINDS LEARN TO SFLEED IT'S AN IMPORTANT PROGRAM, AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF MATERIALS BECAUSE IT'S A LOT OF WORK TO TEACH A CHILD HOW TO READ.

>> Reporter: FIVE-YEAR-OLD SUPERWHY CAMPER TALKS ABOUT HER DAY.

>> I DID A GREAT JOB AT SUPER WHY CAMP, AND SUPER WHY CAMP IS GREAT.

>> Reporter: WHEN ASKED WHAT SHE DOES AT SUPER WHY CAMP, HER ANSWER IS SIMPLE.

>> I READ.

>> Reporter: AS AN EDUCATOR, LUNDBERG KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF LITERACY ESPECIALLY AT A YOUNG AGE.

>> WE WANT TO CATCH KIDS YOUNG AND LOVE SCHOOL RIGHT AWAY, BUT HELPING THEM BE SUCCESSFUL RIGHT FROM THE GET-GO IS SO IMPORTANT.

>> Reporter: LUNDBERG IS THANKFUL TO OFFER THIS PROGRAM AT HER CAMPUS AND SAYS THERE IS A LACK OF STATE FUNDING FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.

>> WITHOUT PBS WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO OFFER THIS AND OFFER ALL THE MATERIALS THAT WENT WITH IT AND MAKE IT THAT 360-DEGREE EXPERIENCE THEY'VE HAD WITH IT, SO WE APPRECIATE SO MUCH LIKE THIS OPPORTUNITY, AND WE'RE HOPING WE GET ON DO IT AGAIN.

>> Reporter: ROXANNE DE LA ROSA REPORTING FOR "ARIZONA HORIZON" IN PARTNERSHIP WITH REPORT FOR AMERICA.

CHRISTINA: CHILDREN WHO HAVE ATTENDED THE CAMPS HAVE EXPERIENCED A NEARLY 50% INCREASE IN READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS.

THAT'S ALL THE TIME FOR TONIGHT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US HERE ON "ARIZONA HORIZON."

I'M CHRISTINA ESTES IN FOR TED SIMONS.

HAVE A GREAT NIGHT.

- Hello, I'm Alice Ferris, and we hope you enjoyed Arizona Horizon.

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