The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded a $550,000 grant to the Media Center of the Judge Baker Children's Center to futher production of its Emmy award-winning children's television program, Willoughby's Wonders.

Alvin F. Poussaint, director of the Judge Baker Media Center and clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical School, said the grant would assist greatly in the process of developing as many as 13 episodes of the comedy/drama action series that scored a near 100 percent positive rating in children's audiences who said they wanted to see more episodes.

Susan Linn, an instructor in psychiatry at the Medical School as well as the media center's associate director and the show's creator, explained that Willoughby's Wonders is intended to promote essential social coping skills, such as cooperation, empathy and persistence, as well as the capacity to work and play with all kinds of people. "And," she added, "have fun at the same time."

The programs explore the adventures and misadventures of a diverse, co-ed, urban youth soccer team, their coach, and their families. Using soccer as a metaphor for life,Willoughby's Wonders provides three key elements for a successful children's program: fun, action, and drama. The pilot, which won two New England Emmy's last year for "Outstanding Children's Special" and "Outstanding Individual Achievement Ñ Directing" was filmed in the South End of Boston.

"Kids, especially those between the ages of six and eleven, love this show Ñ and so do their parents," said Poussaint, a recognized authority on family dynamics and children's entertainment. Linn, an award-winning writer and producer, added that she and Poussaint hope to keep the production in an urban Boston setting.

Poussaint and Linn see the award as a keystone in their efforts to raise funds for the series. "We are very pleased with this as a recognition of quality and content from the public broadcasting community," said Poussaint.

The Judge Baker Children's Center, founded in 1917, is a Harvard Medical School affiliate dedicated to the healthy development of children through research and education, and to programs and services for at-risk children, their families and the community at large.

The Media Center of the Judge Baker Children's Center was created in 1994 to foster collaboration between media artists, mental health professionals and educators in order to promote the use of the media to advance healthy psychosocial development in children. The filming of Willoughby's Wonders established Judge Baker as the first mental health center in the country to produce a national television pilot.

The series will be a co-production with WGBH, Boston's public television affiliate.