HOUSTON, July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced plans to distribute bilingual, multi-media outreach kits entitled Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment, this August. The announcement was made by Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, and Ray Bracy, Wal-Mart Vice President of Corporate Affairs, at the annual Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) national conference.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060714/DAF019 )
Distribution of the Talk, Listen, Connect kits will begin on August 1, 2006. Based on feedback from the program's advisory board, as well as the priorities established from focus groups, the kits will be distributed at no cost to military families through the following outlets and provided by The Department of Defense through Military OneSource: Child Development Centers at each military installation, distribution centers for Active Duty personnel with children 3-5 years-old, National Association of Childcare Resource and Referral Agencies, the National Guard, Coast Guard, Family Readiness Groups, the Reserves, NYSOMH and MCEC.
Due to an overwhelming response to the announcement of the project and feedback from Talk, Listen, Connect's advisory board, Wal-Mart has donated an additional $575,000, for a total of nearly $1.5 million in funding. This additional funding will increase the number of kits produced by Sesame Workshop and their partners to nearly 400,000 kits. The resources will consist of a bilingual (English/Spanish) kit with a DVD for children and adults, starring the Muppets from Sesame Street, and a magazine and poster for children, parents and caregivers.
The Talk, Listen, Connect kits will also be available online at http://www.sesameworkshop.org/tlc , where streaming video is being provided by The Department of Defense Quality of Life Information Technology Center, so families everywhere can view the video and download the information.
Research shows that 483,514 children of active duty military members and 177,888(1) children of Reserve and Guard members are less than five years of age. To meet the unique needs of these children, Sesame Workshop developed Talk, Listen, Connect, with an initial donation of nearly $1 million from Wal- Mart and additional support from The New York State Office of Mental Health (NYSOMH) and the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC). The project will help children between the ages of three and five, whose parents are members of the United States Armed Services, National Guard and Reserves, cope with the feelings, challenges, and concerns experienced during various phases of deployment: pre-deployment, deployment and homecoming.
"Wal-Mart has a long history of supporting our troops and their families. We are proud to be part of a program that will provide important resources to the children of our servicemen and servicewomen, who bravely serve our country and defend our freedom," said Ray Bracy, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. "At Wal-Mart, we are committed to honoring and supporting these individuals each and every day and we are proud to be part of a project that takes a holistic approach to helping the entire family."
"Sesame Workshop is grateful to Wal-Mart and our partners and proud that Talk, Listen, Connect kits will be distributed nationwide, as well as, be available online for all military families to access these groundbreaking materials," said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO, Sesame Workshop. "It is our privilege to provide Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve families with unique tools to help their young children find emotional strength and resilience."
"Whether children are worried about moving to a new home or school or a parent's deployment, being a child in a military family represents a unique emotional challenge for today's youth," said Commissioner Sharon E. Carpinello, R.N., Ph.D. "OMH is proud to have been invited to play a role in this important initiative with Sesame Workshop and Wal-Mart."
"The Military Child Education Coalition's sole purpose is to provide a comprehensive support network to all military families and Talk, Listen, Connect is a much needed tool; we are honored to have such dedicated partners in this effort," said Retired General Tom Schwartz, Chairman of the Board for the Military Child Education Coalition. "The commitment of the brave men and women serving our country must be matched with a commitment to their families and the unique and significant challenges they face."
Talk, Listen, Connect's advisory board, consisting of leading experts in child development, mental health and programs supporting military families, continues to inform and guide Sesame Workshop on all aspects of the project. They helped to determine the needs and challenges of children in military families and guided the development of age-appropriate and effective content for the program.
Participants on the advisory board include:
* Major General Charles F. Bolden, Jr., USMC (Ret), Retired Major
General, U.S. Marine Corp., former NASA astronaut, CEO, JACK and
PANTHER LLC
* Colonel Stephen J. Cozza, M.D., USA (Ret), Chief, Department of
Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Associate Director, Center
for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Child and Family Programs, Uniformed
Services University of the Health Sciences
* Amy Goyer, Manager, Grandparent Information Center, AARP Foundation
* Mary Keller, Ed.D., Executive Director, Military Child Education
Coalition
* Sylvia E.J. Kidd, Director, Family Programs, Association of the United
States Army (AUSA)
* Michael L. Lopez, Ph.D., Executive Director, National Center for Latino
Child & Family Research
* Patty Shinseki, Advisory board member, Military Child Education
Coalition, Amputee Patient Care Program at Walter Reed Medical Center,
Citizen-Soldier Support Program
* Jean Silvernail, Ed.D., Chief, Military Child in Transition &
Deployment, Department of Defense, Military Community and Family Policy
* Janice R. Witte, Director, Office of Children and Youth, Department of
Defense, Military Community and Family Policy
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in children's lives around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award- winning programs like Dragon Tales and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, Pinky Dinky Doo and ground breaking multimedia productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia. As a nonprofit, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from sales of Sesame Street, Dragon Tales, Sagwa and Pinky products right back into its educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop online at http://www.sesameworkshop.org/ .
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM'S CLUB locations in the United States. The company also operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company's securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT.
More information about the Wal-Mart and SAM'S CLUB Foundation or other military projects can be found at http://www.walmartfacts.com/ or http://www.walmartfoundation.org/ .
New York State Office of Mental Health
As New York State's mental health authority, the Office of Mental Health promotes the mental health of all New Yorkers with a particular focus on providing hope and recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. The Office of Mental Health works closely with local governments, community providers, and recipients of mental health services and numerous other stakeholder groups to plan and deliver effective services to approximately 630,000 New Yorkers annually. Services provide hope for the future and promote recovery, and are designed to be consumer and family focused, responsive to individual needs, and respectful of culture and language. OMH also promotes overall public mental health through education and advocacy for all New Yorkers. For more information please visit http://www.omh.state.ny.us/ .
The Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC)
MCEC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that promotes partnerships and provides for networking of military installations and their supporting school districts. Their focus is to address transition and other educational issues related to the military-connected child, including active duty, National Guard, and Reserves. MCEC seeks to include all military installations, their supporting schools, concerned organizations, and caring individuals. http://www.militarychild.org/
(1) 2003 Demographics Report, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of
Defense, Military Community and Family Policy
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