Sesame Street is designing a $100 million program specifically for Syrian refugees
![Sesame Street helps refugee children.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eFob4VGocgpG5uHB3karm6-415-80.png)
Sesame Street will soon be coming directly to the homes of Syrian refugees — literally. On Wednesday, the MacArthur Foundation announced that it was granting the International Rescue Committee and the Sesame Workshop $100 million to create a comprehensive early childhood education program for displaced Syrians in the Middle East, HuffPost reports.
The IRC and Sesame Workshop's proposal goes beyond simply providing wholesome and educational TV content for young children. The stated goal of the program is to help alleviate "toxic stress" faced by displaced children who have seen an inordinate amount of violence and suffering at such a young age, as well as to "improve children's learning outcomes." Julia Stasch, the MacArthur Foundation president, called the proposed program "the largest early childhood intervention program ever created in a humanitarian setting."
Part of the $100 million budget will be used to fund more than 800,000 childcare workers, who will come to the refugees' homes to play with the children in an effort to augment the lessons taught in Sesame Street's TV programming. The IRC and Sesame Workshop also plan to open "child development centers" in the region affected by the Syrian civil war — which includes Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria — which will have educational resources, toys, and activities for children.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The $100 million grant is the biggest in the MacArthur Foundation's history. Sesame Workshop estimates that the program will be able to reach 9.4 million children. Watch a video about the program below (if you can hold back the tears), or read more from Sesame Workshop here. Kelly O'Meara Morales
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
Smoking ban: the return of the nanny state?
Talking Point Starmer's plan to revive Sunak-era war on tobacco has struck an unsettling chord even with some non-smokers
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: September 7, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: September 7, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published