Seatbelts Everyone!

Shresta Nibhanupudi (she/her)

Editorial Team Member

 

As a kid, I absolutely hated kids’ shows. I hated watching them because I thought that it made me look too young. So instead, I would watch whatever my sister watched because in my mind at the time she was “cool.” All I wanted to be was both my sister and older. To my parents’ dismay, I almost skipped the kids’ show watching phase of my life entirely. But there was one saving grace. PBS Kids. 

PBS Kids was my addiction. I would watch it everyday; in the morning, at school, and during my afterschool snack time. The moment I heard “Seatbelts Everyone” from Ms. Frizzle’s voice, I was instantly focused. Everything from Caillou to Wild Kratts to Arthur captivated my elementary school mind. I truly believe that at a young age, that was what fostered my love for learning because it showed me that learning was “cool.” Wild Kratts showed science in an innovative way, proving it could be found everywhere and wasn’t just in the classroom. Caillou and Arthur taught me that kindness was important. The Magic School Bus enticed me with their adventures in math, science, and english. Truly the only reason why I know photosynthesis to this day is because of the episode where they went inside a plant. 

However, the new generations won’t be able to have these same experiences. On May 6th, during a press release, the Trump administration declared that they would cut funding for the grant that funded PBS Kids. Their reasoning for this cut was that PBS Kids was not unbiased and had “woke propaganda.” This defunding will ultimately cause the educational shows from PBS Kids to be less reachable. 

PBS Kids provided a free platform for all children, no matter their economic or geographical situation. It made kids stay curious and smart. It let them see how kindness was super cool instead of just being told by their teachers and parents. And now, these rich experiences are not going to continue. The new shows will not have the same budget as they previously had if there are even new shows. And the replacements for these beloved shows will not match the effect that these had. PBS Kids provided a space that was untouched by politics and profit. 

This defunding will cause catastrophic impacts to the world of education. I would be an entirely different person without these shows. I still willingly watch some of these shows today. It was a purely educational institution. For the world of good it has provided in that field, it should be celebrated not defunded. 

Citations

MSN. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/funding-for-pbs-childrens-shows-killed-by-trump-administration-citing-woke-propaganda/ar-AA1EqRWI. 

Sherri Gordon, CLC. “If PBS Is Defunded, Here’s What Happens to Your Kid’s Favorite Shows.” Click here to refresh, May 15, 2025. https://www.aol.com/pbs-defunded-heres-happens-kids-141652083.html.