Move over, Elmo: There’s a new muppet in town and her name is Karli. Sesame Street is highlighting the story of the new neighbor, who lives in foster care, as part of an initiative to represent different types of families and dynamics.
Karli’s debut, along with the introduction of her “for now” parents Dalia and Clem, is part of the Sesame Street in Communities program, which provides free, easy-to-use resources for community providers and caregivers on a range of topics, including tough issues like family homelessness and traumatic experiences.
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, announced the initiative last week, which offers support to children, foster parents and providers who serve foster families.
“Fostering a child takes patience, resilience, and sacrifice, and we know that caring adults hold the power to buffer the effects of traumatic experiences on young children,” said senior vice president of U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop, Dr. Jeanette Betancourt. “We want foster parents and providers to hear that what they do matters—they have the enormous job of building and rebuilding family structures and children’s sense of safety.”