By: Jason M. Jowers, MS, MFT
Talking about tough topics can be daunting for both parents and caregivers, as well as helping professionals alike. We can be afraid of making it worse when we talk about tough issues with kids, fearing we might make it scarier or more traumatic. And since we do not feel skilled in how to talk about these topics, we may not bring them up, or when we do we don’t do so effectively.
Luckily there are resources like Sesame Street in Communities when we are having a hard time talking to kids. The goal of Sesame Street in Communities is to make a difference by helping kids and families grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Topics that are explored on their website include: issues of community violence, parental incarceration, dealing with divorce, homelessness, handling emergencies, grief, processing traumatic experiences, and resilience.
Sesame Street in Communities also covers keeping kids healthy and education. Topics include eating and staying healthy, exercise, and the importance of playtime. Resources also include ways to talk about emotions, sharing, family bonding, and other health issues like asthma and autism. Finally, the educational side is what Sesame Street has always been known for in almost 50 years of programming. These include reading, writing, science and math, and other skills like building language and financial education.
Sesame Street in Communities provides tons of great resources for parents and caregivers, as well as for service providers working with children. For providers, there are training videos, webinars, and online courses geared toward professional development. All of these resources are free and new content is added continually to help meet the needs of the communities that helping professionals serve.
To get more information on Sesame Street in Communities and Sesame Workshop, RSVP for our Kids Serve Too webinar series, a collaboration between OneOp and Sesame Street for Military Families.
This free, online series provides free CEUs for each webinar. Learn more and sign up for our emailing list: oneop.org/kidsservetoo
This post was written by Jason M. Jowers, MS, MFT, of OneOp. His team aims to support the development of professionals working with military families. Find out more about OneOp Family Development concentration on our Facebook, and Twitter. You can also listen to our Anchored. podcast series via iTunes and our website.
Cover Image: Photo from US Air Force by Samantha S. Crane [August 5, 2008]
