Recently, I’ve written how Sesame Street both brilliantly and, in my opinion, beautifully helped children understand the topics of divorce and pregnancy. This week, I want to talk about an even more sensitive topic that I’m sure many people are unaware Sesame Street has touched upon. In 2013, Sesame Workshop created an educational resource video to help kids understand and deal with having a parent in jail. Naturally this is an extremely touchy topic for Sesame Street to address, and it affects a very specific population of children, but for that percentage of families it’s a topic that’s very important to discuss and help kids understand. Sesame Workshop worked closely with an expert panel including members from Rutgers University. The program and resources are available on the Sesame Workshop website as well as in correctional facilities. Other organizations that specialize in early childhood education, mental health, counseling, parenting programs and foster care programs also make the material available.
According to Sesame Workshop, 1 in 28 children in the United States have a parent in state or federal prison. These 2.7 million children share similar experiences and Sesame created resources to help both the children and their parents. Their first effort took place in 1977 with a documentary called “Sesame Street Goes to Prison.” The film was the answer to prisons having inadequate waiting areas for children visiting incarcerated parents. The documentary shows a prison program where inmates voluntarily provide entertainment for the visiting children of their fellow inmates, using the educational foundations of the show as the basis for their own show. Although the name of the film includes Sesame Street, the film does not include any characters from the show. It emphasizes helping children form closer bonds with their families, despite being in a rough situation. This documentary won several awards including the American Film Festival Blue Ribbon and the IFPA Cindy Award.
In 2013, Sesame Workshop produced a new video, as part of their “Little Children, Big Challenges” initiative. The video is called “Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration” and it features Sesame Street characters Abby Cadabby and Rosita, along with two new characters: a Muppet named Alex (performed by Matt Vogel) and a new human friend named Sofia (performed by Jasmine Romero, who originally auditioned for Sesame Street in 2012 to become a new Hispanic cast member). Murray Monster also makes special appearances conducting interviews with kids about the word “incarceration” and asking how they feel about having imprisoned parents. The video features Alex, whose father is in prison, as he and Sofia help Abby and Rosita learn how they cope with having an incarcerated parent.
What really impressed me about this initiative is how much information Sesame Street makes available to parents. There’s a great pamphlet that can be downloaded from Sesame Workshop helping parents understand that children need a sense of security when it comes to big changes in their life, like knowing who will pick them up from school and where they’ll go and what they’ll do. It goes on to explain how important honesty is, and that trying to cover it up by saying that “Mommy is going on vacation” or “Daddy is at school” will leave the child with too many questions about why the parent doesn’t return. It’s also important for children to understand what will only be talked about at home or with family, and what they can talk about with friends at school. Involving the incarcerated parent in the child’s life shows the child that they will always be cared for.
I think Sesame Workshop does an amazing job helping both parents and children with this sensitive topic. They don’t try to justify an incarcerated parent’s actions, but instead they explain what incarceration means and the feelings a young child may have after a parent has gone away to jail. In addition, it helps parents understand the importance of communication, and why saying nothing to the child is more hurtful than helpful. This is another perfect example of why I personally applaud Sesame Workshop for tackling important and sometimes sensitive topics to help both children and parents develop good communication skills and good learning experiences.
Leave a Reply