Sesame Workshop Launches New Resources to Help Children and Families Build a Lifelong Foundation of Resilience

With support from UnitedHealthcare, free online courses for providers and digital storybooks for children build upon Sesame Workshop’s ongoing commitment to building happy and healthy communities

MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, is launching new bilingual resources, made possible by UnitedHealthcare, to help children build resilience and thrive in their communities. The new Sesame Street in Communities content includes a comprehensive course to help providers and caregivers implement new resilience resources with the children they serve, helping them to build happy and healthy communities together.

Available in English and Spanish, the new package of resources is free for all parents and providers at sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/resilience and includes:

• Roads to Resilience — an online course tailored to help providers, including health care workers, educators, and housing and social service providers, implement new resilience resources. This course highlights the crucial role that providers play in the lives of young children and families, while equipping them with tools and new ideas to foster their professional development.
• Three new storybooks on resilience featuring Sesame Street Muppets Karli, Lily and Alex: the first, Monster Dash, featuring Karli, is about dealing with change; Looking for Special features Lily and teaches confidence; Bounce Back with Alex encourages practicing persistence — three key ingredients to building resilience.
• New printed versions of Monster Moments storybooks about celebrating milestones, including tips for parents and caregivers.

Beyond creating the resilience resources, Sesame Workshop recognizes the importance of providing comfort and reducing stress for children in environments such as medical offices, social service offices and educational settings. New Comfy-Cozy Spaces will launch later this year, with child-size tables, chairs and bookshelves stocked with Sesame Street in Communities books and resources, along with colorful Sesame Street Muppet murals on the walls to create a fun and playful environment.

“These past few years have been tough on families everywhere, and now more than ever it is important for families and providers to help children build resilience and healthy communities together,” says Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of US Social Impact at Sesame Workshop. “We know that access to health-related information and resources can often be difficult and overwhelming, and Sesame Workshop is committed to connecting families with the tools they need to establish a foundation of healthy habits with their children.”

The new resources are based on formative research and build upon an existing content library that aim to improve the well-being of young children and families — especially those from historically marginalized communities — by helping them build a strong foundation for lifelong healthy habits.

“The past two years have highlighted how important resiliency is as a necessary life skill, particularly for children as they adjust to changing environments,” said Tim Spilker, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community & State. “We are honored to collaborate with Sesame Workshop to bring these important resources to caregivers and health and social service providers to help children live healthier lives.”

In addition to being available for free to families and providers online, new resources will be distributed through UnitedHealthcare’s network of health care providers and Sesame Street in Communities’ partners. Since launching in 2015, Sesame Street in Communities has provided easy-to-use tools for community providers and caregivers to support families on topics ranging from resilience to school readiness — helping children grow smarter, stronger and kinder every day.

UnitedHealthcare and Sesame Workshop have worked together for more than 10 years, creating multimedia initiatives on topics including food insecurity, physical activity and developmental milestones, to improve the well-being of young children and families. Together they support families, health care providers and communities as they help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger and kinder.

About Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone. UnitedHealthcare supports a wide range of programs and services, promoting physical and mental wellness for individuals of all ages. UnitedHealthcare offers a full spectrum of health benefit programs, and contracts directly with more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company.