August 9, 2024 – Ahlan Simsim (“Welcome Sesame” in Arabic) and Play to Learn—two groundbreaking initiatives from Sesame Workshop, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and BRAC with funding from the MacArthur and LEGO Foundations—are multi-year investments to address those gaps. Through beloved and new Muppet characters designed to reflect the realities of children affected by displacement; localized multimedia resources; and remote and in-person direct services in homes, schools, community centers, and more, these programs reached children, caregivers, and ECD facilitators affected by crisis through early learning and nurturing care. Ultimately, these partnerships are striving to establish play-based ECD programming as an essential component of every humanitarian response.
Five randomized controlled trials led by New York University Global TIES for Children provide new insights on what works in these contexts to support families and improve children’s holistic development. The findings indicate that remote programs and caregiver-facing interventions can support children’s development and caregivers’ well-being and demonstrate the power of integrating educational media with ECD services. Collectively, these results have significant implications for delivering ECD interventions in humanitarian and other contexts, including those where traditional in-person services are not available.