Vice Admiral Raquel “Rocky” Bono, Director of the Defense Health Agency, and Elmo joined forces on YouTube to introduce a new set of resources for your work with military-connected families. The Sesame Street for Military Families webpage for providers was developed in conjunction with the Defense Health Agency, which is responsible for healthcare for military families. Find out how useful these videos can be:
This site contains 4 very short videos:
- an introduction, and
- one each on deployment, homecomings, and relocations
These three topics impact military families in general, and especially those families who have children with disabilities or an Exceptional Family Member.
Sesame Street offers a simple, effective way to use the videos and attached resources: Watch, Ask, Share. These resources were created for healthcare professionals so you can substitute “education or other services” for the question “Are there any specific healthcare services you need to establish in your new location?”
Watch the videos for quick insights on typical military family situations: deployment, homecoming, and relocation.
If you get the chance, ask the questions. They go directly to the heart of military family concerns and will help you to establish trust and communication with the military families you serve.
Share the resources with the military-connected families your parent center supports or share to let those in your community you stand ready to assist. You can also pair parent-friendly handouts from the Branch on topics like relocating with a child with a disability, tips for working with schools during a deployment, or learning about resources like the Extended Care Health Option from TRICARE.
While you’re on the Sesame Street for Military Families website, explore some of their other offerings. The Branch previously featured some of them in our article Resiliency Tools Can Help Military Kids Develop Self-Advocacy. Another tip, the Sesame Street tip sheet resources are available in English and Spanish and have areas for kids to color on!
Taking a few minutes to check out these resources will put additional tools in your toolbox when working with military-connected families. It’s also helpful to have various formats to share (print and video) for your valuable time on behalf of military-connected families.