Lester Holt Is Hosting 'Nightly News' Episodes Made Especially For Kids

The twice-weekly newscast is aimed at bringing news to kids during the pandemic

There are a few people who we trust to deliver us the news and Lester Holt is at the top of the list. His straightforward, no-nonsense approach is what we all need right now. (That and facts, which he also delivers.) So, it just makes sense that Holt would bring something designed specifically for our kids to help them sort through the constant barrage of media content they are seeing about the coronavirus pandemic.

NBC News’ Lester Holt just launched a brand new newscast designed for kids called, Nightly News: Kids Edition. Holt will be dropping new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 pm ET from his home with the goal of bringing kids the news in a way they can comprehend and digest it. Given everything that’s going on in the world right now, they need it more than ever.

“It’s healthy to have someone who will talk to them in as plain a language as possible and really walk them through what we know and what the coping techniques are for all of us,” Holt told Associated Press. The twice-weekly newscast will talk to kids about the pandemic, the worry they may be feeling, homeschooling, and answer some of the questions they submit.

To say I have a crush on Lester Holt would be the understatement of the century. The man is a damn national treasure, so I, personally, will be watching both the kid and adult version of his nightly newscast as much as possible (and streaming most of his old Dateline NBC shows in between). You can never have too much Lester in your life. Ever.

Holt will bring in other NBC correspondents like Dr. John Torres, who tackled the question of “When is coronavirus going to end?” from one viewer, and others like Kate Snow to talk about the ups and downs of homeschooling. The point — to make sure kids know they aren’t alone and that it’s normal to feel anxious and scared right now. It also features content that shows that there are so many people out there pitching in and helping out — that there is still a lot of good in the world.

Holt also brought Carson Daly’s son, Jackson Daly, on one episode to give a virtual zoo visit and share a story about a 14-year-old volunteer from Illinois who is making face shields and PPE for doctors and nurses in his area.

A representative from NBC tells Scary Mommy that the most recent episode features “an amazing segment on a young girl in Georgia whose adventures have taken her all over the world, all without leaving her sidewalk. Her family, with a glass half-full approach, found a way for her to experience abundance and joy during these dark and uncertain times.”

“I think it’s hugely important because it’s not a story these kids can avoid,” Linda Ellerbee, who made a series of award-winning news programs aimed at kids on Nickelodeon, said of the series.

Each newscast will run between six to ten minutes and will be available on NBC’s YouTube channel and other digital platforms such as NBCNews.com, NBC News Apps, as well as the network’s new streaming service Peacock.