Sesame Street

Sesame Street

Did you know that Sesame Street recently celebrated its 55th Anniversary? The series debuted on November 10th, 1969. 

I fondly remember sitting in front of the television with my siblings and mom, watching Sesame Street. We sang the songs and made puppets to act out scenes from our favorite characters. There are very few shows that can be shared with generations of children. I remember watching it with my daughter, who adored Elmo. 

Sesame Street is a true model of representation and inclusion. Alex is the first puppet to have an incarcerated parent, Lily represents a family suffering from food insecurity, Julia is the first autistic puppet, and Ji-Young is the first Asian American puppet. 

When you’ve always been represented, you don’t realize what it feels like when you don’t see yourself or your family in books, movies, or on TV. Instead of believing that representation isn’t necessary, it is important to put yourself in the shoes of others—building this understanding is called empathy, which Sesame Street can also teach us. 

Sesame Street teaches families how to have difficult conversations while providing supportive resources. The Sesame Workshop website is a fantastic resource for parents and caregivers. It has dedicated pages for the difficult topics of parental addiction and grief.

Sesame Street will forever inspire me to advocate for all children, families, and early childhood professionals.