Sesame Street is an instantly recognizable institution of early childhood education. The program has been welcomed into homes for its school-readiness and life lessons taught by warm and hilarious characters for over 50 years. Targeted to families with children in the formative early years, the content has always addressed early development while adapting to the diverse needs of their audience. Sesame Street in Communities is one of their online platforms built to share resources and education to address those needs and other timely topics that affect families across the country every day.
Types of Sesame Street Resources
Sesame Street in Communities honors families by recognizing both the positive and adverse experiences children and families face and creating content that offers support thru those experiences. They also offer professional development opportunities that encourage providers and give them new tools to support the diverse personalities and circumstances in their classrooms. Content is regularly added to enhance social-emotional development, health and wellness, and school preparation. Both caretakers and providers are able to personalize their experience by drilling down into relevant topics, filtering by age of child(ren), specific length of lesson time, and selecting ways to receive the information. Content and information type includes:
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Storybook
- Read together and then play interactive games based on the reading material
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Video
- Receive short form videos, 1 to 10 minutes
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Printable
- Download materials for child or class
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Article
- Take a deep dive with a more in-depth look at the selected subject
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Interactive
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- Download a lesson and activity for a hands on learning approach
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Workshop
- Early education providers can find PD opportunities for themselves and hands on activities for kids
For example, one could select the umbrella topic of “School Readiness”, 2-3 year old age group, mark a time limit of 4-10 minutes, and then video to find specific content that meets their criteria. In this example the search yielded the following videos: “Day in the Life of a Preschooler,” “Reading at Home and School”, a reading at home challenge with Elmo and “I Live in Two Different Worlds” featuring music star Ed Sheeran. Users may also sign up to receive regular email updates to ensure access to the newest content.
Who is Sesame Street in Communities For?
The personalization that Sesame Street in Communities offers makes it an excellent resource for those who have or serve children ages zero to 10. Parents and caregivers are able to tap into information and activities relevant to their family in regards to school or addressing social emotional issues like divorce, caregiving, and emergency preparation. Providers have access to these same topics plus free professional development opportunities. Interactive and digital training experiences for providers include: Exploring Quality in Family Child Care, Building Resilience, and Family Engagement efforts.
What Subjects Can Sesame Street in Communities Help With
The familiar and friendly faces of Sesame Street help parents/caregivers and providers track milestones, promote development, and tackle a wide range of challenges. They do not shy away from some of the harder topics affecting young children and families. Topics covered include:
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“Difficult Times & Tough Talks”
- Parents and caretakers can search resources on health emergencies, racial justice, homelessness and more
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“Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds”
- Find information and activities on the benefits of cooking, physical activities, family bonding, and community service
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“ABC’s & 123”s
- Prepare for the start of school with language, math, reading, writing and science skills
Visitors to the site can simply select parent/caregiver or provider on the top left hand portion of the screen and start discovering!
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