Military families can find connection and support on Sesame Street

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By Kait Hanson

Posted 2 Hours Ago

Reviewed By Tessa Robinson

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Children from the Andrews Air Force Base hild development center pose for a photo with Sesame Street characters Rosita, Grover and Elmo on June 26, 2008. The muppets were in Washington to help the Sesame Workshop and the United Service Organizations launch "The Sesame Street Experience," the next piece in the workshop's program to help young military children cope with parents' deployments.
Children from the Andrews Air Force Base Child development center pose for a photo with Sesame Street characters Rosita, Grover and Elmo. The muppets were in Washington to help the Sesame Workshop and the United Service Organizations launch "The Sesame Street Experience," the next piece in the workshop's program to help young military children cope with parents' deployments.

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As most military families are acutely aware, when a parent serves – the whole family is impacted. With the only constant being change, it’s not uncommon for feelings of isolation to surface, especially in children, with frequent moves, being far from family, and constantly being “the new kid.”

Since 1996, Sesame Street for Military Families has helped children and families in the military community with programming specifically aimed toward relevant topics that are unique to military life.

“Feeling isolated can happen to anyone, but this is especially true for our military families. Having a community where one can feel safe and connected to others who are going through the same experience is truly invaluable,” Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop’s Senior Vice President of U.S. Social Impact, said in a 2023 press release.

Sesame Street character Elmo waves to the audience at the completion of the Sesame Street USO Experience for Military Families show at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The Sesame Street USO Experience for Military Families is a 35 minute show featuring four of the popular Sesame Street costumed characters, as well as Katie, a military child created especially for the USO. Katie appears in two shows, the “moving show” which depicts her leaving friends as she moves to a new base and the “transition show” in which her family is permanently separating from the military, June 6, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese/Released)
Sesame Street character Elmo waves to the audience at the completion of the Sesame Street USO Experience for Military Families show at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The Sesame Street USO Experience for Military Families is a 35 minute show featuring four of the popular Sesame Street costumed characters, as well as Katie, a military child created especially for the USO. Katie appears in two shows, the “moving show” which depicts her leaving friends as she moves to a new base and the “transition show” in which her family is permanently separating from the military. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese/Released)

In 2023, Sesame Workshop debuted new resources to support the emotional well-being of military and caregiving families that highlights simple strategies for self-care and emotional wellness through videos, such as:

In “What Went Well,” Rosita’s dad, Ricardo, reflects on his “went wells,” or three simple things that went well during the day. In order to care for others, you should care for yourself first.  

In Still and Quiet, Elmo and his dad, Louie, sit still and listen carefully to the world around them. Taking a few minutes to relax, focus, and listen can have a very positive impact on your health and happiness. 

In Keep It Simple, Elmo’s mom, Mae, realizes she’ll have more time to spend with Elmo if she orders a pizza rather than cooking dinner. Every night can’t be a pizza night, but sometimes foregoing your routine to enjoy a special, spontaneous moment with your family is a great form of self-care. 

The resources – available in English and Spanish – are structured to support military families through deployments, homecomings, long-term family caregiving, transitions in health care, injuries, grief, self-expression, and more.

“Being a military family means being part of something bigger than yourself,” Betancourt said. “We’re proud to support our military and their families with new resources in the times they need us most.”