The Kid Should See This  • February 13, 2025

🦜 WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

Chattering white-throated bee-eaters burrow at Kruger National Park ➜

🌱 When Joan Ganz Cooney drafted The Potential Uses of Television in Preschool Education in 1966, she wasn't only outlining the blueprint for Sesame Street—she imagined a seismic shift in the ecology of childhood learning and demonstrated that television could educate children through engaging, thoughtful storytelling. Three years later, Fred Rogers sat before a Senate subcommittee, passionately defending public funding for educational programming that supported child development, emotional learning, and human connection—television that crafted experiences to help children navigate their inner and outer worlds.

This month, I've been reflecting on their efforts—a compassionate vision that remains a beacon for so many incredible content creators. Yet, finding that kind of content today often means swimming upstream against algorithms designed to maximize watch time, engagement, and profits—not education or enrichment.

Of course, we can do better: We can make it easier for a broader audience to discover free, high-quality educational media and make it fun to watch together.

A 2016 study from Texas Tech University underscores that second point: Co-viewing is transformative. Children who watched educational programming and consistently discussed it with caregivers showed remarkable developmental benefits, including greater empathy, emotional intelligence, and self-confidence.

Cooney and Rogers' pioneering vision continues to inspire me, and this corner of the internet—an all-ages video collection that sparks curiosity, fosters comprehension, and encourages authentic engagement—is the result. Here, I truly believe we can improve screen time while also creating space for experiences that nurture connections beyond the screen—between caregivers and children, and between children and the world, as it is and as they can reimagine it. — Rion

🧮 FROM TODAY’S TRUSTED PARTNER

With Prodigy, kids practice standards-aligned skills in Math and English as they play our fun, adaptive learning games. All with teacher and parent tools to support their learning in class and at home. Plus, it’s free for students and teachers!

🐸 AND IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

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