Shared Values and Differing Language: Building a New Early Childhood Partnership With Sesame

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Nine
  In Roundtable Session: History, Leadership, and New Initiatives in Early Childhood (Table 16)

Abstract

This paper describes how an urban multi-agency university/community collaborative incorporated a new partner, Sesame Street in Communities (SSIC), into their early childhood early childhood programming. The grant funded partnership spanned two years and used a train-the-trainer model to teach members of the early childhood community about SSIC’s free website with tools to expand knowledge about child development. Shared values and effective processes helped the partnership increase awareness of Sesame’s social emotional digital resources for early childhood educators and leaders, but challenges around building shared language and goals impacted implementation and limited uptake of the tools and strategies by children and families in the community.

Author

• Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo, Drexel University
  Presenting Author