By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Sesame Workshop has launched a multi-year initiative to promote emotional well-being for young children and their families.
The Workshop is providing a range of licensed multi-platform activities and content for the new mental health initiative.
Sesame Workshop launched the first new content for the initiative on May 3 for Mental Health Awareness month.
The new content includes a Sesame Street x Youtube special called Elmo’s Mindfulness Spectacular. The video includes appearances from celebrities like Juanpa Zurita, Jenny Slate, Fitness Marshall, Lauren Riihimaki, and Marques Brownlee. Original music from the special will be available from Arts Music, a division of Warner Music Group.
“We at Sesame hold a vision of a world in which all children can flourish and feel the joyfulness of life and do so with appreciation for their own mental health and well-being,” said Sesame Workshop president, Sherrie Westin. “Through the power of our beloved characters and proven resources, we’re raising awareness about the importance of nurturing children’s emotional well-being and lessening the stigma associated with seeking
support for children’s mental health.”
Sesame Workshop has also partnered with the Ad Council’s Sound It Out campaign to distribute a new PSA with an original song called, Me & My Grown-Up. The PSA video includes licensed Sesame Street characters singing about the role grown-ups play in supporting the emotional well-being of the children in their lives.
New bilingual resources that focus on the benefits of nurturing relationships will be released throughout May on Sesame Workshop’s newly launched resource hub for parents, caregivers, and providers.
The new resource collection includes educational videos, a digital storybook, printable activity sheets, articles, and webinars for providers. Families will also be able to stream the video resources on PBS KIDS. The bilingual video resources include two shorts called The Feelings Garden and I Notice, I Feel, I Can.
“Children who are healthy in both mind and body tend to be happier, show greater motivation to learn, and have a more positive attitude about themselves and the world,” said Sesame Workshop EVP, Jeanette Betancourt. “Together with the caring adults in children’s lives, we’re helping children develop a foundation for emotional well-being for years to come.”
A special episode of The Happiness Lab podcast will premiere this spring featuring host Dr. Laurie Santos, Sesame Workshop CEO Steve Youngwood, Elmo, and Sesame EVP Kay Wilson Stallings. The episode will focus on sharing strategies that parents and caregivers can use to promote emotional wellbeing.
A three-episode series on The Happiness Lab will revisit happiness strategies this fall with licensed characters and songs from Sesame Street.
In addition, Sesame Workshop’s podcast with Headspace, Goodnight, World!, will return this summer with a second season. Goodnight, World! is developed by a team of early childhood and meditation experts to help children transition from wakefulness to sleep.
Sesame Workshop also collaborated with Headspace and Penguin Random House on a six-book series based on the Monster Meditation videos from Sesame Street’s YouTube channel.
Sesame Workshop has entered a publishing partnership with Mayo Clinic Press Kids to create licensed content focused on emotional well-being. Launching in Fall 2024, the books will focus on a full-body approach to health, emotional coping strategies, and more.
Sesame Workshop’s well-being initiative extends worldwide with a new primetime episode called The Big Feelings Special for South Africa’s Takalani Sesame. The episode will premiere on May 20, 2023.
New content also recently launched in Ukraine to help families cope with the trauma of forced displacement.
Sesame Street’s new well-being initiative was inspired by the children’s mental health emergency that was declared by the American Academy of Pediatrics and several other groups last year.
The crisis has increased during the pandemic, indicating that young children need additional support and resources to build long-term emotional health and well-being.
Leadership support for Sesame Workshop’s new initiative was provided by the Joan Ganz Cooney Fund for Vulnerable Children and UnitedHealthcare. Additional support was provided by Just Play, Kenneth Cole, and Kohl’s.
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