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2 In 1969 a little street filled with laughter, learning, and promise launched a revolution in children’s television. Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street and so much more, making a meaningful difference in the lives of children for nearly 40 years.

3 On April 29, 2008, Sesame Workshop launched a new multimedia outreach program designed to help support military families with children ages two- five cope with the challenges of deployments, multiple deployments or when a parent returns home changed due to a combat related injury. Sesame Workshop: Talk, Listen, Connect Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecomings, Changes

4 Content Areas Deployment Multiple Deployments Changes due to Combat Related Injury

5 Objectives Reduce the level of anxiety children may experience during a deployment and homecomings after multiple deployments Help parents with ways to cope with multiple deployments Help young children gain an age-appropriate understanding of a parent’s injury by including them and the entire family in the rehabilitation process Reassure children that they are loved and secure and that together with their families, they can learn new ways of being there for one another and having hope for the future

6 Project Components 500,000 bilingual kits –2 Sesame Street DVDs featuring a Muppet story with documentary footage Deployments (original Talk, Listen, Connect I content) Homecomings Changes –Print Materials included in each kit Parent/Caregiver magazine Children’s poster/brochure Muppet Postcards Facilitator Guide –Online:

7 How to Use the Materials? Facilitator Guide: Can be adapted for a variety of situations, including family readiness groups, child care, medical rehabilitation, and other such programs. It is divided into three sections that correspond to the stories in the DVD: deployments, homecomings, and changes. Within each section, there includes: Take-Home Messages Story Summary Watch It, Talk About It Family Activities Print Connections Family Pages Project Components

8 Distribution Distribution: provided by Military OneSource, New York State Office of Mental Health, USO, Military Child Education Coalition FREE kits can be ordered through Military OneSource online at Or call anytime! For active duty, National Guard, Reserves (regardless of activation status) and their families. Stateside: Overseas: * En español llame al: TTY/TDD:

9 Results Press Coverage: Good Morning America, BBC, NPR, CBS, Washington Post, Newsweek Distribution: Over 250,000 Kits Distributed in 3 Months Government Affairs: CSPAN: House of Representatives, Democratic members hosted Special Order session on effects of deployment on families and featured TLC Positive Response: Hundreds of letters from families Assessment: Sesame Workshop will soon be measuring the impact of materials on families

10 Viewer Response “ I never thought that Elmo could make an Airborne Ranger cry. I've just returned from a second deployment to Iraq. My daughter was 5-months-old when I left and she didn't know who I was when I returned. The parent/child video brought out emotions in me I never realized I had. It is very powerful and exactly on target. I know that I will go back overseas again and when I do, these videos will be an integral part of how I prepare my soldiers’ families and, most importantly, how I prepare my family. Thank you very much.”

11 Additional & Upcoming Activities Sesame Street/USO Tour: “Sesame Street Experience for Military Families” –43 bases –July – November ‘08 –Entertainment + Educational experience for families TV Primetime Special for families –Anticipated air date in April 2009 –Focus on the “Changed” Family –This will follow up Sesame Workshop’s first special, “When Parents are Deployed,” which on local PBS stations December The special examined the unique challenges military families “Sesamized Rooms” –Sesame Workshop will be “Sesamizing” children’s rooms at military treatment facilities, childcare facilities, etc. across the country

12 Thank you !