Talk, Listen, Connect (TLC)

Videos, storybooks, and workbooks especially created for this initiative provide support and practical strategies in an effort to guide families through such tough transitions by showing how real families - as well as furry ones (puppets, also known as "Muppets" from the international educational children's initiative Sesame Street) - cope with similar circumstances.

In the first instalment of TLC, families learn about ways to be together, even when they're apart. When the Muppet Elmo's dad, Louie, is deployed, he creates a new bedtime ritual: No matter where they are, the family will say good night to the same moon. In the second part of the programme, families coping with a parent's injury find ways to reach a new normal together. Rosita struggles to accept her father's new wheelchair, saying what many children do: "I just wish things could go back to the way they were." She soon realises she's not alone. In a primetime television special, children visit Sesame Street to share how they're coping with their parent's amputation or "invisible injury", such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and their parents describe the techniques they use to explain their injuries to their children. In the initiative's last instalment, "When Families Grieve", parents and children find comfort by talking about death and keeping memories alive. In the storybook, Elmo's cousin, Jesse, has trouble remembering her father who died; her mom and Elmo help her remember by doing "small things", such as wearing her dad's favourite hat or playing baseball as they used to do. An educational kit for the general public is also being distributed to grief counsellors and families across the US. To access these materials, click here.

In addition to the toolkits, TLC has: set up Sesame Rooms, bringing toys and furniture to military spaces; aired 3 television specials; created a series of public service announcements (PSAs) in support of military families featuring First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, Elmo, and Rosita; and has organised Sesame Muppets to perform for nearly 200,000 families at USO installations all over the world. Beginning in April 2012, the travelling Sesame Street/United Service Organizations (USO) Experience for military families will head back to the US, featuring Elmo and his friends Rosita, Cookie Monster, Grover, and their new friend Katie, a military child who is moving to a new place.

Also, with launch of the Military Families Near and Far website, Sesame Workshop extended TLC into an online experience, with the goal of facilitating interaction between deployed or injured soldiers and their loved ones when distance or disability makes everyday communication difficult. The online space provides ways for preschool and school-aged children to express themselves, communicate within their own family networks, and stay connected with loved ones.

Children, Military.

Almost 800,000 preschoolers are separated from a parent serving in the US military.

Since its launch, TLC has distributed more than 2.5 million education kits, in addition to countless free downloads. According to studies cited by Sesame Workshop, 80% of parents felt the Deployments kit helped their children better handle future deployments. After using the kit, children exhibited fewer negative behaviours, such as being demanding and impatient. Similar improvements were reported with kits designed for children with an injured family member: 71% of caregivers felt the kit helped their child cope.