Sesame Workshop

Overview

It began in 1968 with a simple and, at the time, revolutionary idea: using television to help educationally disadvantaged children learn. Sesame Street was a success, and over the years, it has helped three generations of American children become better prepared for school. Today the learning continues, crossing technological frontiers, geographical borders, and cultural barriers. Sesame Street now benefits more children in more countries across more cultures than any other children's program in history.

Mission

To create innovative, engaging content that maximizes the educational power of media to help all children reach their highest potential.

Program

Sesame Workshop programs and initiatives reach children in more than 120 countries across the globe. In addition to ABCs and 123s, Sesame programs provide life lessons about health and safety, coping with loss, and social skills such as respect and sharing. And this is done in real-life contexts: helping to tackle the stigma of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, encouraging girls' participation in schools in Egypt, modeling respect and understanding in Kosovo's multi-ethnic society and, in the post-9/11 world, helping children in the U.S. demystify differences and value diversity.

Impact

Research tells us conclusively that our work works: Sesame Street reaches children in every demographic group, and preschoolers who watch are more likely to show signs of emerging literacy and math skills than are nonviewers. And the Sesame Street advantage lasts: Teens who watched as children had better grades in high school, read more books, placed higher value on academic achievement, and expressed less aggressive attitudes than did those who watched rarely or not at all. We succeed because our work is firmly grounded in curriculum, in research, and in accountability for achieving results.

Chief Executive

Gary Knell

Countries of Operation

Bangladesh, Egypt, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Netherlands, Russian Federation, South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, United States