BETHESDA, Md., July 18 (UPI) -- A retired U.S. Army colonel and military family groups worked on a Sesame Street Muppet production that helps address issues related to military stress.
Retired Col. Stephen J. Cozza, a professor from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, participated in an initiative with the Sesame Workshop aimed at helping young children of service members deal with the stresses of military life including separation, fear, family transition and reintegration of military service members following a deployment.
Research shows that more than half a million children of active duty, Reserve or National Guard members are younger than the age of 5.
The DVD entitled "Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families Cope with Military Deployment" is primarily geared towards children of this age group, as Elmo has to cope with the absence of his father who is deployed.
Distribution of the bilingual -- English/Spanish -- kits that include the Muppet DVD, a print guide and poster for children begins Aug. 1. The Sesame Workshop will give out 400,000 of the kits at no cost to schools, child-care programs, family support centers and other organizations serving the needs of military families.
