Corporate Social Responsibility

The renewed partnership will provide even more resources to help the youngest grievers.

Since 2008, the New York Life Foundation has been dedicated to supporting bereaved children and their families. As one of the leading corporate funders in bereavement, we have developed a comprehensive approach aimed at reaching every child who has experienced the death of a loved one, so no child grieves alone.

To that end, finding the right partners is critical to fulling our purpose. That’s why we are thrilled to re-engage with one of our long-standing partners, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street that is focused on helping children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Together, New York Life Foundation and Sesame Workshop are supporting the youngest grievers by building comprehensive, age-appropriate materials that address the experience of grieving children and offer them (and their caregivers) the support they need.

For young children, understanding the permanence of death is extremely difficult. They may experience many different emotions and are not always able to express how they feel, which can be frustrating. And, though processing grief may become easier over time, grieving never truly “ends.” During sensitive times or significant life events, such as important milestones, children may grapple with understanding grief and its enduring impact. New York Life Foundation and Sesame Workshop have released a series of new resources that aid children by providing thoughtful ways to remember loved ones and effectively express and manage big feelings that often come with grief and loss.

The free resources include three new videos featuring Sesame Street friends navigating complex facets of grief, including secondary losses and re-grieving: 

• Elmo and Jesse Remember Uncle Jack by celebrating him and showing there are ways to remember and celebrate a person who is no longer with us. 
• Jesse Expresses Grief Through Play shows how children express their feelings of grief through play and how grown-ups can help.
• Grief can come and go in life for both children and adults. In Re-grieving as Seasons Change, Jesse and her mom, Jill, share memories of Jesse’s dad and talk about their feelings together.  

These resources also include a new digital storybook, a child-facing interactive game, articles, and printable pages: 

• A read-along digital storybook: Something New features Sesame Street friend, Jesse, whose dad died, and shows how Jesse learns to navigate grief as time goes on.
• Express Yourself with Elmo and Jesse! is a digital interactive game that encourages expressing emotions through creativity.
• Three new printable activities include coloring and empathy-building activities.
• Parent and caregiver articles offer language, tips, and strategies to help communicate with children about coping with grief.

These new resources are available now in both English and Spanish on the Sesame Workshop website. Additionally, Elmo and Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop, made an appearance on the Tamron Hall Show to emphasize the importance of grief support for children. Watch the segment now to learn more about the resources available and why supporting the youngest grievers is crucial.

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