 In 1969 , the children 's television show Sesame Street premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS ) in the United States . Unlike earlier children 's programming , the show 's producers used research and over 1 @,@ 000 studies and experiments to create the show and test its impact on its young viewers ' learning . By the end of the program 's first season , the organization founded to oversee Sesame Street production , Children 's Television Workshop ( CTW ) , had developed what came to be called " the CTW model " : a system of planning , production , and evaluation that combined the expertise of researchers and early childhood educators with that of the program 's writers , producers , and directors . 
