Misti Chastain selected for PBS Rootle Ambassador Program

Asheville, N.C. (July 22, 2025)— PBS North Carolina, an educational media network, has appointed YWCA of Asheville’s Misti Chastain to serve as Buncombe County’s PBS Rootle Ambassador.   

The PBS Rootle Ambassador program takes locally based community members who are strong supporters of families with young children and trains them to use and share the suite of PBS early education resources with families in their communities.   

“Our state is diverse, and each community is unique,” Dr. Melissa Rihm Thibault, PBS NC Chief Education and Innovation Officer, said at the time of the program’s launch. “The Rootle Ambassador is, in each of these communities, bringing their knowledge, connections

 and deeply held understanding to the role, ensuring that each child is made aware of the assets and opportunities inherent in their home community.” 

Rootle is PBS NC’s locally branded 24/7 PBS KIDS Channel aimed at children ages 2 - 8 years old. Programming takes a “whole child” curricular approach proven to strengthen learning outcomes. The PBS Rootle Ambassador program was announced in 2021. It was developed

 from the knowledge that local family members, educators, and community leaders have a tremendous impact within the early childhood education space, as well as the need to equitably reach children across the state. Primary funding is provided by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust grant.  

Misti Chastain is a member of the fourth cohort of ambassadors. The program’s goal is to have an ambassador in every NC county within five years.   

“I’m honored to serve as Buncombe County’s Rootle Ambassador and to partner with PBS North Carolina to promote early childhood education and literacy,” said Misti Chastain. “This opportunity allows me to connect more families with high-quality, accessible resources that support young children’s learning and development.”