thedrifter
04-16-07, 02:03 PM
Sesame Workshop kit helps families face deployment
Researchers praise Elmo-driven program
By Karen Jowers - kjowers@militarytimes.com
Posted : April 23, 2007
When the Sesame Workshop crafted a multimedia kit called “Talk, Listen, Connect” to help military families through the stress of deployment, the message was aimed at preschool children.
But researchers have found that the impact of Elmo, the Sesame Street character who stars in the kit, has reached far beyond preschool children in military families.
Military spouses reported that their feelings of hopelessness and depression also eased, according to Russell Research Inc., which surveyed 367 spouses of active-duty, National Guard and reserve members before and after they used the kit.
The main draw of the kit is a DVD starring Elmo and his father, who is about to deploy.
Parents also reported fewer negative behaviors in their preschool children, researchers said in a discussion of the findings April 3 in Washington.
These benefits were “far beyond what we expected,” said Jeanette Betancourt, vice president of outreach and educational practices for Sesame Workshop.
The results showed that “not only were we reaching the parents and younger children, but the entire family,” she said.
Nearly 80 percent of parents thought the materials had made them more comfortable in helping their child cope with deployment, and 80 percent of parents reported their children will be better able to handle future deployments.
Army wife Joanna Lopez, of Fort Bragg, N.C., said she and her children are better prepared for the third deployment of her husband, Ernesto, after using the kit. “My first two deployments, I did not know what to expect for my kids, and what my kids would ask,” Lopez said.
“Listening to some kids, and what they are asking, and what my kids are going to ask, I know what to answer now and I know how to prepare them. I’m more prepared for before, during and after the deployment,” said Lopez, mother of three children, ages 4 months, 6 years and 10 years.
Each family surveyed had a preschool child from age 3 to 5, and one parent in paygrades E-2 through E-6 experiencing some stage of deployment. About one-fourth of the families were Spanish-speaking; Sesame Workshop also produced a Spanish-language version of the kit.
The Elmo DVD was the key component of the kit, which also featured activities for parents to use to help their children cope with deployment, such as age-appropriate chores to help foster independence. Some 99 percent of the children watched the DVD; about three-fourths watched it more than once.
About 85 percent of parents said they watched it with their child.
It also sparked discussions. About two-thirds of parents said they talked with their children about deployment after watching the DVD.
More than 225,000 free kits have been provided to military families since the program was launched in August. Sesame Workshop is exploring other ways to help military families, including families of soldiers returning with injuries, said Gary Knell, president and chief executive officer of Sesame Workshop.
“Talk, Listen, Connect” is available free from www.mil itaryonesource.com, www.ses ameworkshop.org/tlc, and www.walmart.com/movies.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. provided funding for the project.
The research on the effect of “Talk, Listen, Connect” was designed in consultation with the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University.
Shelley MacDermid, co-director of the institute, said parents said they felt the kits were useful in helping them decide how much to tell their children about deployment.
Targeting preschoolers
“The project was groundbreaking,” said Leslye Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy.
“The materials filled a very important gap in the literature and the tools we had for military families,” Arsht said. “We know a lot about the effects of deployments and the stages, but we did not have very many materials for preschool children” or for parents of preschoolers.
Dr. Stephen Cozza, a retired Army colonel and professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, said the Sesame Workshop’s production “honored the traditions and culture of our military community,” recognizing the courage and strength of the community rather than victimizing it.
“What the data may most importantly show is that when given important information from a trusted source like Sesame, military kids made excellent use of it,” Cozza said.
That includes older children who watched the DVD, like 10-year-old Ernesto Lopez III.
“Elmo taught me that before your father leaves, be sure to have some time” with him, Ernesto said.
Ellie
Researchers praise Elmo-driven program
By Karen Jowers - kjowers@militarytimes.com
Posted : April 23, 2007
When the Sesame Workshop crafted a multimedia kit called “Talk, Listen, Connect” to help military families through the stress of deployment, the message was aimed at preschool children.
But researchers have found that the impact of Elmo, the Sesame Street character who stars in the kit, has reached far beyond preschool children in military families.
Military spouses reported that their feelings of hopelessness and depression also eased, according to Russell Research Inc., which surveyed 367 spouses of active-duty, National Guard and reserve members before and after they used the kit.
The main draw of the kit is a DVD starring Elmo and his father, who is about to deploy.
Parents also reported fewer negative behaviors in their preschool children, researchers said in a discussion of the findings April 3 in Washington.
These benefits were “far beyond what we expected,” said Jeanette Betancourt, vice president of outreach and educational practices for Sesame Workshop.
The results showed that “not only were we reaching the parents and younger children, but the entire family,” she said.
Nearly 80 percent of parents thought the materials had made them more comfortable in helping their child cope with deployment, and 80 percent of parents reported their children will be better able to handle future deployments.
Army wife Joanna Lopez, of Fort Bragg, N.C., said she and her children are better prepared for the third deployment of her husband, Ernesto, after using the kit. “My first two deployments, I did not know what to expect for my kids, and what my kids would ask,” Lopez said.
“Listening to some kids, and what they are asking, and what my kids are going to ask, I know what to answer now and I know how to prepare them. I’m more prepared for before, during and after the deployment,” said Lopez, mother of three children, ages 4 months, 6 years and 10 years.
Each family surveyed had a preschool child from age 3 to 5, and one parent in paygrades E-2 through E-6 experiencing some stage of deployment. About one-fourth of the families were Spanish-speaking; Sesame Workshop also produced a Spanish-language version of the kit.
The Elmo DVD was the key component of the kit, which also featured activities for parents to use to help their children cope with deployment, such as age-appropriate chores to help foster independence. Some 99 percent of the children watched the DVD; about three-fourths watched it more than once.
About 85 percent of parents said they watched it with their child.
It also sparked discussions. About two-thirds of parents said they talked with their children about deployment after watching the DVD.
More than 225,000 free kits have been provided to military families since the program was launched in August. Sesame Workshop is exploring other ways to help military families, including families of soldiers returning with injuries, said Gary Knell, president and chief executive officer of Sesame Workshop.
“Talk, Listen, Connect” is available free from www.mil itaryonesource.com, www.ses ameworkshop.org/tlc, and www.walmart.com/movies.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. provided funding for the project.
The research on the effect of “Talk, Listen, Connect” was designed in consultation with the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University.
Shelley MacDermid, co-director of the institute, said parents said they felt the kits were useful in helping them decide how much to tell their children about deployment.
Targeting preschoolers
“The project was groundbreaking,” said Leslye Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy.
“The materials filled a very important gap in the literature and the tools we had for military families,” Arsht said. “We know a lot about the effects of deployments and the stages, but we did not have very many materials for preschool children” or for parents of preschoolers.
Dr. Stephen Cozza, a retired Army colonel and professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, said the Sesame Workshop’s production “honored the traditions and culture of our military community,” recognizing the courage and strength of the community rather than victimizing it.
“What the data may most importantly show is that when given important information from a trusted source like Sesame, military kids made excellent use of it,” Cozza said.
That includes older children who watched the DVD, like 10-year-old Ernesto Lopez III.
“Elmo taught me that before your father leaves, be sure to have some time” with him, Ernesto said.
Ellie