Sesame Workshop / Max

Sesame Street

55 years of proven early education — still the benchmark for children's television

Sesame Street invented educational children's television in 1969, and it still sets the standard. The curriculum — letters, numbers, social skills, emotional intelligence — is backed by more peer-reviewed research than any other show on this list, and it shows in the results. Elmo, Big Bird, and the rest of the cast have introduced generations of children to their first concepts and their first feelings of belonging. It's a classic for a reason.