Katie Couric and the Sesame Street Muppets Help Families Cope with the Death of a Parent

Primetime Special Premiering on April 14 at 8 pm ET/ PT on PBS

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, in association with Worldwide Pants Incorporated and Lookalike Productions, is producing a new primetime television special, When Families Grieve featuring Katie Couric and the Sesame Street Muppets. This hour-long HD special, airing in primetime nationwide in April on PBS, will present families’ personal stories about coping with the death of a parent, as well as strategies that have helped these families move forward.

Most recent data state that one in 20 American children under the age of 15 experiences the death of a parent whether it be from illness, suicide, accident or war-related.* Certain populations, such as military families, are more at risk of experiencing a sudden death. In just one year, from 2006 to 2007, an estimated 1,345 children from military families experienced the death of a parent serving in the military.¹ The death of a parent is one of the most difficult things a child can face; but children are not the only ones that feel overwhelmed and experience change in their behavior. Grieving is a family experience and, thus, the entire family needs support during this most difficult time. This is why When Families Grieve will harness the unique approach that Sesame takes in addressing children’s needs: using the Sesame Street Muppets to aid the communication between adults and children with language and strategies that are child appropriate and useful for the whole family.

When Families Grieve is a continuation of Sesame Workshop’s award-winning Talk, Listen, Connect initiative that first launched in July 2006 providing resources and emotional support to military families with young children coping with the challenging transitions in their lives, such as deployments and when a parent comes home changed due to combat-related injury. This PBS special will air on April 14^th at 8:00PM EST (check local listings) in conjunction with the Month of the Military Child & Month of the Young Child, and will be part of a multimedia, bi-lingual (English and Spanish) outreach kit for national distribution immediately following the April airdate. All materials will be available at www.sesamestreet.org/grief beginning April 15.

“Sesame Workshop”®, “Sesame Street”®, and associated characters, trademarks, and design elements are owned and licensed by Sesame Workshop. © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Philippe Cheng.

"Death and loss are a part of life, but they are very difficult for adults to discuss, much less children," said Katie Couric. "I'm honored that Sesame Street, with its long history of tackling difficult issues with sensitivity, caring and warmth asked me to be a part of this important project. I hope that it will provide families with the tools to help them cope, begin the healing process and ultimately adjust to their 'new normal' in the healthiest way possible."

“Sesame Workshop has always been at the forefront of creating resources for families with young children to help address some of life’s most difficult issues.” said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop. “When Families Grieve is Sesame Workshop’s contribution to all those who face the daunting challenge of helping a child cope and heal from the painful reality of a death of a loved one. We are honored by the families who share their very personal stories so others can learn and benefit from their journeys."

The When Families Grieve Advisory Board, which consists of leading experts in child development and mental health, have informed and guided Sesame Workshop on all aspects of the project. The Advisors have helped outline the needs and challenges of young children facing the death of a parent, and have guided the development of age-appropriate and effective content for the program. For a full listing of all Project Advisors please visit www.sesamestreet.org/tlc.

TLC III Advisory Board Members include:

• Bonnie Carroll, Chairman and Executive Director, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
• Judith A. Cohen, M.D., Medical Director, Center for Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents
• Stephen J. Cozza, M.D., COL, USA (Ret), Associate Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
• Vanessa Gabrielson, Volunteer, Leader, Facilitator, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
• Betsy Graham, LTC (Ret), Program Analyst, Office of Family Policy/Children & Youth, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Military Community & Family Policy)
• Frederica (Terri) Holmes, Parent, Quality Control Specialist National Institutes of Health
• Larry E. Jones, COL, ARNGUS, State Chaplain Joint Force Headquarters, North Carolina
• Alicia F. Lieberman, Ph.D., Director, Child Trauma Research Program
• Mary C. Owen, LCSW, Clinical Director, Wendt Center for Loss and Healing
• Patty Shinseki, Board Member, Military Child Education Coalition; Chair of its Living in the New Normal: Supporting Children Through Trauma and Loss initiative; Member of Board of Managers of The Army Emergency Relief
• Barbara Thompson, Director, Office of Family Policy/Children & Youth, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Military Community & Family Policy)

Major support for When Families Grieve has been provided by Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, BAE Systems, Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund of the California Community Foundation and Walmart Foundation. Additional support has been provided by Lockheed Martin Corporation, Military OneSource, New York State Office of Mental Health, McCormick Foundation, USO, Military Child Education Coalition, Joseph Drown Foundation, Bank of New York Mellon, Oshkosh Defense, and Department of Veterans Affairs – Vet Center Program.

About LOOKALIKE PRODUCTIONS – Lisa Lax & Nancy Stern

Lookalike Productions represents the diverse collaborative efforts of twin sister filmmakers Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern, whose television and film productions have earned them a combined 16 Emmy Awards. After spending fifteen years in network television producing & directing documentary films, live sporting events, entertainment specials and series, Lisa and Nancy became producing partners in 2002. Telling stories on film is Lookalike’s specialty, and their first collaboration was the award-winning documentary “Emmanuel’s Gift”. The film highlighted the courageous efforts of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah as he fought for the rights of two million of his fellow disabled in Ghana, West Africa. “Emmanuel’s Gift” sparked a call to action. In July, 2006, Ghana’s Parliament passed a Disability Bill that had been ignored for decades, guaranteeing unparalleled rights for this long-overlooked community. Lisa and Nancy take great pride in producing important and meaningful projects that generate awareness and trigger social change.

About PBS:

PBS, with its 356 member stations, offers all Americans – from every walk of life – the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches more than 124 million people on-air and online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and Web site, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.

About Sesame Workshop:

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with the landmark Sesame Street. The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 140 countries, and other acclaimed shows to help bridge the literacy gap including The Electric Company and Pinky Dinky Doo. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and military deployment. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.

About Worldwide Pants Incorporated:

Worldwide Pants, Inc. (WPI) is the independent, New York City-based entertainment company that David Letterman founded in 1993. WPI creates original content for television and film, as well as for new media platforms including broadband and wireless. It currently has several comedy, animation, variety/talk, and feature projects in active development. WPI's successful network productions include "The Late Show with David Letterman;" "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson;" and the Emmy award-winning "Everybody Loves Raymond," which completed a successful nine-year run in 2005. WPI also created the critically acclaimed and Emmy-nominated "Ed," which ran for four seasons on NBC; "The Knights of Prosperity," which aired on ABC in 2006-2007; and "Welcome to New York," which aired on CBS in 2000. WPI has garnered more than 100 Emmy nominations and won 24 Emmy awards. "The Late Show" alone has received 60 Emmy nominations and won nine Emmys awards, including "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program" in 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. "Everybody Loves Raymond" received 69 Emmy nominations and 15 Emmy awards in its nine seasons. WPI expanded into feature films with the 2004 production of "Strangers with Candy," which debuted at Sundance to wide critical acclaim and was distributed by THINKFilm in 2006, and "The Youngest Candidate," a feature documentary released earlier this year, that follows teens running for elected office.

* Steen, KF. (1998). “A comprehensive approach to bereavement.” The Nurse Practitioner, 23(3), 54–62.

¹ Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC)