Sesame Street for Military Families (SS4MF) has supported the military community for 19 years, rolling out new tools annually in recognition of the unique challenges military children face. Armed with valued input from families and practitioners familiar with military dynamics, this year’s “Healthy, Happy, Ready” initiative focuses on health education for the whole family.
‘Healthy, Happy, Ready’
Evaluating gaps within the military community and creating tools to effectively meet those needs is a lengthy and detailed undertaking. Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president for U.S. social impact at Sesame Workshop, explained that Sesame Workshop and the Department of Defense’s Office of Military Community and Family Policy met last year, along with relevant organizations that serve military families and young children, to discuss the upcoming initiative. SS4MF then went on a “listening tour” to gain valuable feedback from the families themselves, and the focus of healthy living with intentional routines came to fruition after much research and real conversation.
Betancourt shared some of the questions the nonprofit asked themselves before creating the tools, which launched Sept. 15.
“How do we maintain healthy routines as a family, especially when we’re experiencing so many transitions? How do we make meal planning ahead of time, so that … we balance our time? But how do we include young children? And how do we maintain physical activity as a family with the idea of not only being … healthy, but doing it in a really joyous manner? And — on top of that— with the philosophy of always being ready for service?” Betancourt recalled.
It was a tall and complex order, so they called in the professionals to spearhead the initiative: the Sesame Street muppets.
“I love watching our muppets model this and put it into action,” praised Betancourt. “Because sometimes we go from scripts and you’re seeing this concretely in written form, then suddenly it [comes] alive in a video. [It] is just a lovely process to watch.”
Learning for all ages
The latest tools on the revamped website include nutritious meal planning, recipes and suggestions on adding activity to regular tasks (for example: energize your walk to the car — hop like a bunny instead!), which encourage healthy and active routines for the young audience. Yet, hidden inside the multiple printables and videos is gentle encouragement for caregivers. As characters Grover, Rosita and Abby learn how to prep meals and plant herbs, the muppets’ families demonstrate how parents and caregivers can engage with children at home. Additionally, the website serves practical grown-up advice such as what pantry staples to prioritize before, during and after a PCS.
“From our start of developing our program in Sesame Street, it was always with the idea that we are engaging both children — so that they see themselves through our wonderful muppets — but also pulling in the adults,” Betancourt said.
Holistic healthy living
SS4MF welcomes everyone, and eliminates as many barriers as possible to ensure all feel welcome. For example, the website was recently remodeled to be even easier to navigate. The free videos, activities and printables are age appropriate for the youngest audiences to follow independently, and the digital materials are available in both English and Spanish. Mindful that one in four active-duty military families faces food insecurity, even the suggested recipes were created to be cost-effective with inexpensive ingredients.
“We know that in order for these things to work, it really needs to work in a way [where] ingredients are accessible, [the recipes] allow for future meal planning, and also that children and the grown ups can do together,” Betancourt said. “So we took all that into account.”
Each Healthy, Happy, Ready tool can be used alone or in conjunction with other materials. The goal is that these simple and economical resources will create a domino effect for holistic healthy living — for the whole family — for life.
“What I love is the way they all connect … we have meal planning, but there’s additional resources that help you along the way, and I think that’s what my favorite thing is,” Betancourt said.
Check out SS4MF’s Healthy, Happy, Ready resources here.
