CPB and Sesame Workshop

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a private, nonprofit corporation created by the United States Congress in 1967. CPB is the largest single source of funding for public television and radio programming, investing in more than 1,000 local radio and television stations. CPB-funded television, radio, or online programs extend to nearly all households in the United States through PBS, NPR, and other distribution vehicles.

As part of its mission to help every child learn, CPB partners with Sesame Workshop to help fund projects such as Talk, Listen, Connect: When Parents are Deployed, and, most recently, a new version of The Electric Company, and Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times.

The Electric Company's mission is to create an immersive, hip, and funny literacy experience that appeals to children in underserved communities. Much like the original, today’s Electric Company is designed specifically for struggling readers between the ages of six and eight, with a particular focus on second graders. In addition to a national broadcast and richly interactive online environment, The Electric Company curriculum is implemented through community-based outreach activities. CPB’s support for The Electric Company is part of a grant from the United States Department of Education’s Ready To Learn initiative.

Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times is a bilingual, multimedia initiative designed to help families with young children who are experiencing difficult economic circumstances. Through simple strategies and tips that can be incorporated into everyday routines, Families Stand Together provides families with materials that can lead to positive outcomes for their children’s physical and emotional well-being. The initiative includes a one-hour primetime television special, online resources, 200,000 free outreach kits, local screenings and community engagement activities across the country to help families talk, come together, and reach out for support, while fostering a sense of hope for the future.