One to Grow On is an educational public service announcement that broadcast during NBC's Saturday morning line-up from 1983 to 1989, when the network ran cartoons. The name is taken from the custom of putting an extra candle on a birthday cake as "one to grow on". One to Grow On focused on ethical and personal safety dilemmas and attempted to teach viewers how to solve them. The public service announcement appeared immediately after the end credits of NBC cartoons, such as ABC did with Schoolhouse Rock! and CBS with In the News.
The public service announcements began with an animated sequence that leads into an animated TV on which an actor appears. After the actors introduced themselves (which, until 1986, was followed by a 30-second commercial), live-action sequences followed, in which a child faced an ethical dilemma. One to Grow On then cut back to the actor, who explained to the viewer how to solve the problem. The child then either had to own up to the consequences of the action or make an effort to rectify the situation. The actor ended the segment by saying, "And that's One to Grow On."
One to Grow On received an Emmy Award in 1987. The programming segment was replaced by The More You Know in September 1989.
Segment hosts
The segments were hosted by the stars of NBC primetime series, including from:
227: Marla Gibbs and Jackée Harry
A Different World: Kadeem Hardison
Amazing Stories: Kristine Blackburn
Diff'rent Strokes: Todd Bridges
Family Ties: Michael J. Fox, Michael Gross, Justine Bateman and Tina Yothers
Highway to Heaven: Michael Landon
Knight Rider: David Hasselhoff
Miami Vice: Michael Talbott
Night Court: Richard Moll
Punky Brewster: Soleil Moon Frye and Cherie Johnson
Real People: Byron Allen and Sarah Purcell
Riptide: Perry King and Thom Bray
Silver Spoons: Rick Schroder, Alfonso Ribeiro, Erin Gray and Joel Higgins
The A-Team: Mr. T and Dwight Schultz
The Cosby Show: Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Tempestt Bledsoe
The Facts of Life: Kim Fields, Nancy McKeon, Lisa Whelchel and Charlotte Rae
The Golden Girls: Estelle Getty and Betty White
Valerie: Valerie Harper and Jason Bateman
Many of the celebrities featured were from NBC prime time programs that kids had been familiar with, parents being comfortable enough to allow kids to watch these programs, however, René Enríquez from the adult-oriented prime time show Hill Street Blues also hosted a segment specifically on how children should not be watching the show since it was broadcast too late, past a typical child's bedtime on a school night, as well as briefly evaluating it's more mature dramatic content compared to the other NBC programs. Another special move was when pro athlete Ozzie Smith hosted a segment which revolved around the issue of usage of snuff, where Smith explained in his segment that he is not a user of snuff and it has nothing to do at all with baseball playing ability or the "image of the big leagues", and then-First Lady Nancy Reagan likewise hosted a 1986 segment encouraging kids to "Just Say No" to drugs and alcohol. A few segments featured a young Jaleel White as one of the child actors.