Check out a sneak peek of the upcoming documentary “Make A Circle,” premiering September 1 on PBS.  The film follows a group of child care providers determined to change how society values the education of its youngest citizens and their own profession. The film confronts a broken system that provides early care and education to over 14 million American children, but where “Parents can’t afford to pay, and teachers can’t afford to stay.” Immersing viewers in both the imaginative, whimsical world of young children and the passionate, hopeful, but imperfect world of the adults who teach and care for them, the film gives voice to the educators and their ideas on how to improve the system. Directed by Jen Bradwell and Todd Boekelheide, “MAKE A CIRCLE” premieres on PBS.org and the PBS app on Monday, September 1, 2025, and on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings). The film is made available to PBS by KQED Presents, the national distribution service of San Francisco-based public media station KQED.

“MAKE A CIRCLE” captures the unfolding stories of Patricia, owner of a home-based child care in San Jose and leader of a new union for child care providers; Charlotte, a provider in Oakland, California, who tirelessly lifts up the low-income families in her care; and Anne, the director of a large preschool in Berkeley, who finds novel ways to value and support her teachers when jobs at Starbucks are offering higher pay. Within their stories are cinematic glimpses into the unique, imaginative world of the young children in their care. The film culminates as thousands of child care workers march on their state capitol, demanding better working conditions. Weaving together the magic they create in the classroom, the struggles they endure at home, and their unwavering activism for their profession, MAKE A CIRCLE offers a rare, inside look at the lives of early educators — the backbone of a child care system on the brink.