To learn more about Jane Henson’s life and achievements, visit The Jim Henson Legacy.

The Sesame Workshop Blog

The Sesame Workshop Blog

The Sesame Workshop Blog

We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action. We met with the accuser twice and had repeated communications with him. We met with Kevin, who denied the accusation. We also conducted a thorough investigation and found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated. Although this was a personal relationship unrelated to the workplace, our investigation did reveal that Kevin exercised poor judgment and violated company policy regarding internet usage and he was disciplined.

Kevin insists that the allegation of underage conduct is false and defamatory and he is taking actions to protect his reputation. We have granted him a leave of absence to do so.

Elmo is bigger than any one person and will continue to be an integral part of Sesame Street to engage, educate and inspire children around the world, as it has for 40 years.

The Sesame Workshop Blog

Sesame Street receives, on average, about $1.5 million from PBS each year. You may have read that PBS gives us $7 million or $8 million each year. That’s an easy mistake to make. But we’re Sesame Street, and we’re going to do what we do best.

We’re going to explain it.

Not-for-profit organizations are required to publish their informational returns, IRS Form 990, on their websites. It shows where the organization’s money comes from and where it goes to. If you look at our Form 990s from years past and go to Part VIII (page nine), there’s a “Statement of Revenue.” That’s where our money comes from.

The first part of that has a line – 1e, if you’re following along — called “Government grants (contributions).” In our fiscal year 2010 (ending June 30, 2010), that number was just under $8 million; in fiscal year 2011, it was about $7 million. Many people are looking at that number and thinking “PBS!”

But PBS funding for Sesame Street is not included in that number. Let’s break it down. We’ll use the fiscal year 2011 number because it’s our most recent.

The $7 million came primarily from three sources:

* About $1.6 million from the Department of Education, for The Electric Company.
* Another $4.4 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development, facilitating the production of local educational initiatives in places like Nigeria, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.
* And another $700,000 or so from the Department of Health and Human Services, for our Healthy Habits for Life initiative.

But PBS funding for Sesame Street is not there.

Why?

PBS is funded, in part, by an organization called the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (or CPB), which you’ve probably heard mentioned on PBS shows for decades. CPB is “a private corporation funded by the American people.” CPB gives money to PBS and to NPR, among others. A lot of that is on a project basis — for example, a few years ago, CPB gave us money so that we could bring back  The Electric Company in order to help bridge the literacy gap among underprivileged children in early elementary school.

So where’s the PBS’s financial support for Sesame Street appear on our Form 990? It’s part of line 1f – “All other contributions, gifts, grants, and similar amounts not included above.” It includes all the money we get from our corporate sponsors who have partnered with us to bring our educational content to children around the world, and, yes, it includes PBS, too.

Of the nearly $32 million on that line, $1.5 million is from PBS. PBS pays us a $4 million licensing fee to produce and deliver about two dozen new hour-long episodes of Sesame Street each year. And we give part of it back.

Our corporate sponsors and product licensees bring in revenue so that we can meet our mission, and we could not do that without the reach of PBS. So each year, we return about $2.5 million of that $4 million to PBS.

$4 million minus $2.5 million? As a Sesame Street fan, you can quickly figure out that each year, we receive $1.5 million from PBS.

But let’s be perfectly clear, were it not for PBS and CPB, Sesame Street would not exist. From initial government investment, we’ve built a financially sustainable model through public private partnerships. And today, we continue to rely on PBS to deliver on our mission of helping all children reach their highest potential. It is through PBS and their member stations, that we are able to provide commercial free educational programming to all US children, particularly those who need Sesame Street the most.

The Sesame Workshop Blog

The Sesame Workshop Blog

The Sesame Workshop Blog

This article originally appeared on the Sesame Workshop India site. Visit SesameWorkshopIndia.org to learn more about Galli Galli Sim Sim and all the wonderful work Sesame Workshop India does to improve the lives of and educate the children of India.

As India surges on the global stage, early education here has never been more important. With 165 million children under age 8, India’s preschools face a daunting task: creating a new generation of global citizens with creative minds and critical-thinking skills that can help the country continue to thrive and compete.

Indian families are eager to give their children the best advantages in a highly competitive world. But India’s current system struggles to deliver. While there are pockets of excellence among India’s preschools, major gaps exist in availability and quality. In many places, preschool lessons are a downward extension of the primary curriculum, relying on memorization and a didactic teaching style that aren’t appropriate for the youngest learners.

To help meet the booming demand for quality education in India, we’re taking our mission into a new arena: Sesame Schoolhouse. This unique social enterprise uses a franchise model to bring world-class early childhood education everywhere it’s needed, at a price that’s reasonable for Indian families.

Developed especially for the needs of children ages 2 to 8, Sesame Schoolhouse creates a continuum of learning through two complementary programs. Sesame Schoolhouse instills the essential building blocks of critical thinking, creativity and curiosity in children 2 to 5. After they enter primary school, we expand on this foundation with hands-on science and math enrichment at Afterschool.

Sesame Schoolhouse was developed through an approach that’s made Sesame Street an icon of engaging education. We put the child at the center of everything we do. We believe that all children have unique potential that should be encouraged. And we know that for children to excel in today’s complex and technology-driven world, they need a new set of tools—social and emotional skills, critical thinking and creativity.

That’s what our Sesame Schoolhouse initiative is all about. Built around the lovable Muppets of Galli Galli Sim Sim, the experience unites highly trained teachers, a lively classroom environment, and collaborative projects that nurture the whole child. Our preschools address six areascritical to early childhood development—cognition, language, social, emotional, physical and cultural diversity—in line with India’s National Curriculum Framework.

A recent global ranking of students’ reading, math and science abilities placed India near the very bottom of the list. We’re working to reverse this trend with Sesame Street Afterschool. Our new enrichment program builds strong foundations in science, math and critical thinking for children ages 6 to 8. Four hours a week, kids engage with scientific concepts through exploratory games and hands-on activities that foster creativity, problem-solving skills, and a sense of curiosity about the world.

How do we know these programs work? Our process is grounded in 40 years of research and proven impact. Numerous studies tell us that children who are exposed to Sesame Street content are more confident, active, curious and inclusive. In short, they’re better prepared for school and life. And this commitment to research is ongoing: we’re already studying how to make our school experience more effective.

Sesame Schoolhouse preschool and afterschool programs are anticipated to open across Northern India in Spring 2012. Each location receives complete training, curriculum guidelines, and classroom materials from Sesame Workshop in India. This sustainable approach ensures our energizing brand of learning can thrive wherever there’s a need. The business will expand to reach families across India within ten years.

That’s excellent news for millions of active and curious little minds, and for India’s next big act on the global stage.

To learn more about our preschools visit www.sesameschoolhouse.in

The Sesame Workshop Blog

This season on Sesame Street, Elmo is starring in a brand new segment: Elmo The Musical! During the creation of the segment, we went behind the scenes to show you how this rollicking, music-filled math adventure got made.

The Sesame Workshop Blog

The Sesame Workshop Blog