Jill Biden will visit Philly on Friday to announce a new Nickelodeon show
In honor of National Civics Day, the first lady and Nickelodeon will announce a new short-form television series to teach kids about civics.
The first lady is coming to Philly on Friday morning with an unexpected partner: Nickelodeon.
In celebration of National Civics Day, Jill Biden will join Nickelodeon and media company ATTN: at the Independence Visitors Center to announce a new animated kids show that will have viewers singing about civics.
The Oct. 27 holiday marks the day the Federalist Papers were published in 1787.
Biden is a longtime educator who became the first first lady to work full time outside the White House; she teaches at Northern Virginia Community College. Her relationship with Nickelodeon goes back to 2022, when she paid tribute to military families through a video message broadcast on the network’s Kids’ Choice Awards, with an introduction by Miranda Cosgrove.
The new short-form series being announced Friday, called Well Versed, will teach kids about democracy and the U.S. Bill of Rights through original pop songs. The series features 12 music videos that will be available across Nickelodeon platforms, Paramount+, and Noggin, starting Wednesday.
The lessons were created in partnership with iCivics, a national nonprofit founded by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor that develops free nonpartisan online games and resources designed to help young Americans learn about civic life. As many as 145,000 educators and 9 million students use iCivics material each year, according to the company.
Well Versed music videos cover topics like rules and disagreements for kids ages 2-5, and the Bill of Rights and branches of government for children ages 6-11. The videos and learning guides are available for free on the iCivics website.
Along with the first lady, Shari Redstone, chair of Paramount Global, Matthew Sega, co-CEO of ATTN:, and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, will make remarks at the announcement Friday.
And Biden isn’t the only first lady embracing the new show. Former first lady Laura Bush will deliver remarks through a video message.
Biden, who was born across the Delaware River in Hammonton, N.J., and grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Willow Grove, often touts her Philly connections.
She will be integral to President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, and with November 2024 barely more than a year away, is expected to make many more visits to the critical swing state of Pennsylvania.
Frequent visitors to the Philadelphia area for both political and family visits, the presidential couple attended their granddaughter Maisy’s graduation together in May at the University of Pennsylvania, which several of their grandchildren have attended.
The president has visited Philadelphia eight times this year. Most recently, he came this month to announce funding for hydrogen energy projects.