Does Sesame Street build better brains?

First aired in 1969, Sesame Street aimed to reduce the educational gaps that disadvantaged children face when they enter kindergarten. By exposing children to educational activities and experiences, it supports children’s development in many ways, including numeracy, literacy, problem-solving, good manners and feelings. The concepts are introduced through skits with beloved characters such as Big Bird and Cookie Monster to catch children’s attention. 

BZN thought we had found the answer to our question here! Sesame Street or similar educational television shows can prepare children for school when they have limited access to educational enrichment opportunities.

Although research does support the success of Sesame Street and similar video-based learning programs in helping reduce the educational gaps some children may face, it also highlights the value of active play in education. 

Lindsay Moore, a behavioral scientist who has done research on Sesame Street in refugee camps across Europe warned of its limits, though, it was clear that migrant children benefited from the intervention. While Sesame Street helped migrant children to process their new living conditions, it was not able to replace the benefits of interactive, creative play with peers or guardians. After observing students at three local early childhood education programs, it was learned the positive effects of video-based learning paled in comparison to the benefits of interactive play with peers and/or adults. It became clear that while video-based learning is beneficial, its sole use cannot be effective for learning and development. In fact, young children learn best while actively engaging with intentional materials and each other in healthy and safe environments, with well-prepared early childhood professionals.

How does this research relate to our community? Many San Mateo County schools face disappointing math and English scores on standardized tests. Low funding for these school districts includes insufficient early childhood programs, and because many of the schools are in low-income areas, it is possible that their students lack access to well-rounded educational tools at home. Without these resources, students are at a disadvantage before school begins. How could the success of these children and families be supported? 

The answer was here at Cañada College. The college lacks a child development lab, which poses a difficulty to beginning early-childhood educators. While Cañada has an Early Childhood Education Department for future teachers, there is no place on campus for them to perform supervised fieldwork under the direction of a mentor. As these teachers are the ones who go out into the child care settings across San Mateo County, the lack of lab experience might contribute to less well-prepared early childhood educators. 

Student parents, juggling parenthood and school, face issues due to the lack of a child development center on campus. College data indicates that Cañada has a large percentage of students with young children. While there have been discussions about establishing a child development center for years, little progress has been made. Under the direction of Cañada’s President Kim Lopez, and in collaboration with Cañada College’s Student Senate, the chapter proposed a center implementation task force to the college Planning and Budget Council. The task force was formed and discussions are underway.

By advocating for the establishment of a child development center, BZN hopes to create a lasting impact on children’s educational success and bridge the educational gap for young children in our community. Although the findings convey that Sesame Street and other educational television may support children’s development in specific situations, they are no substitute for play-based early childhood education programs.

Pearl Sikepe is a computer science student at Cañada College. She serves as the vice president of Scholarship for Beta Zeta Nu. Giovanna Mancinelli is a user experience design student at Cañada College. She serves as the co-president of Beta Zeta Nu. Anthony Leon Chumpitazi is a neuroscience student at Cañada College. He serves as co-president of Beta Zeta Nu.