Sesame Street donates learning kits to the City of Jackson

31 / 05 / 2020

By WJTV -

On Friday, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Jackson Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Errick Greene announced a generous donation of 1500 distance learning kits given to the City by Sesame Street. The learning kits were given in an effort to support the City and JPS with engaging families in continuous learning opportunities, especially those without regular access to online resources.

“The City is overjoyed to have a relationship with Sesame Street which has been working for generations to educate young people and to fill the educational gap through creative learning processes. And so, Sesame Street, true to its history, has stepped in in the same regard here in the City of Jackson and we are abundantly blessed to have them alongside us,” said Mayor Lumumba.

The City of Jackson initially reached out to Sesame Street in April after learning about their teaching resources designed to help parents and young children manage through COVID-19.

“We are very excited to receive this generous donation from Sesame Street and we anticipate that we will have deeper engagement with them in the future,” said Chief Administrative Officer, Dr. Robert Blaine. He also explained that the learning kits will help to enhance the City’s Ready to Learn Universal Pre-K program.

Each learning kit consists of books and activity booklets geared toward children aged 0-6 years old, which include: Talking is Teaching which helps children express their thoughts and learn about the world around them, Book Buddies which teaches reading and building basic vocabulary skills, and the Brave, Strong, Resilient Family Guide which focuses on providing love and support to children to help them build confidence and overcome challenges.

“Jackson Public Schools is thrilled to partner with the City of Jackson in promoting early literacy. With these high-quality and intuitive resources donated by Sesame Street, Jackson parents are better positioned as partners in educating their children. School is out for the summer, but this helps to ensure that learning doesn’t end,” said Jackson Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Errick Greene.

The Sesame Street learning kits are available for daycare providers, teachers, and parents and children to help them learn and do together – and is part of Sesame Street in Communities’ broader effort to provide valuable resources to children, parents, and caregivers.