2020 was a year of many things – a year of fear and hope, a year of illness and health, and a year that has shined a light on many issues in our communities that have been hard to talk about. Issues like racial and other health disparities, mental health, and addictions. Bringing these issues out into the open means vast opportunities for conversations and healing – but how do we do this in safe, healthy ways? And how do we explain all of this to our kids so that they can learn developmentally appropriate skills to engage with others in ways that help them grow into kind, compassionate adults?

The folks at Sesame Workshop continue to ponder these same questions as they work to develop resources for parents and caregivers around BIG issues, managing BIG feelings, and to have even BIGGER conversations with their children. Most of us know Sesame Street is there to help teach our kids to count, spell and read or the showcase the value of friendships as part of a neighborhood. But you may not know that Sesame Workshop also conducts global research to develop social impact projects that go beyond that little neighborhood on television. Sesame Street in Communities has training and other resources for parents and professionals on a wide variety of topics from managing emotions to trauma and resilience to homelessness and addiction. And, this week, they have launched a new set of resources called Coming Together focused on Racial Literacy and Racial Justice.

While the tools from Sesame Street are focused on our smallest neighbors – the lessons they teach are ageless. Take a look and share with us what you think.

And thanks for being a member of our neighborhood....