The children’s program has been in the news a great deal as of late; and not always in a good light.
But some good news has come to the gang who calls “Sesame Street” home when the Sesame Workshop was presented with the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award that includes a $250,000 grant and support to promote the program.
Elevate Prize Foundation CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram spoke on “Sesame Street” saying, “they haven’t just entertained generations – they’ve educated, advocated, and inspired real change. And their work hasn’t just been confined to the screen. Through their nonprofit, they’ve expanded their mission globally. They’ve created real world programs that bring education, health and hope to millions of children in over 150 countries.”
She added, “this is a foundation that’s about social impact. So the symbolism of us joining forces with a children’s program is to say that even though our leaders are grown adults, it’s the child in all of us that we need to revive and remember our essential values as humans.”
Sesame Workshop vice president and “Sesame Street” executive producer spoke on using the award saying, “we do a lot of work around the world with direct services, trying to provide content for families that talks about some of those harder to talk about subjects, whether it’s trauma, whether it’s homelessness and things of that nature. So this is an opportunity to highlight that kind of work.”
“Sesame Street” residents and roommates Bert and Ernie were on hand with Perez to accept the award.
Founded in 1969, “Sesame Street” spent many years as a lineup on PBS before moving over to the premium network HBO. Now in its 56th season, “Sesam Street” finds itself moving once again. Warner Bros. Discovery made the decision last year not to renew their contract between HBO and “Sesame Street”; however, episodes will air through 2027.
Perez noted, “’Sesame Street’ is not going to go away. It will never go away. It’s obviously been a beloved show for so long.”
Perez noted that there are some changes in store for the new season of “Sesame Street” including longer segments that are, “really focused on character,” and a focus on the emotional well-being and development of the audience.
Perez added, “the more kids want to hang out with our characters on ‘Sesame Street,’ the more they’re going to take in those lessons. The new season will also feature more exploration of the “Sesame Street” neighborhood and a look inside the legendary two-story brownstone at 123 Sesame Street.”
Perez added, “we believe in the power that public funding has for children’s media. I think people should support their local PBS affiliates and support children’s media because it is an entry point for children to really start to see the world outside of their homes.”
In the past Sesame Workshop receives a small amount of its funding from the federal government; but the current administration is looking to eliminate all funding to arts programs including the National Endowment for the Arts, NPR, and PBS.
Sesame Workshop has announced a new broadcasting partnership that will enable the programing to reach more children and in more places than before. The new season and library episodes will be available on Netflix worldwide. The new season will also be aired the same day on PBS and PBS KIDS digital channels.Bottom of Form