‘Sesame Street’ Introduces Karli, A Muppet in Foster Care, to Support New Initiative

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street, announced their plans for a new initiative supporting foster families on Monday. 

Through the storyline of Karli, a new and young Sesame Street Muppet and her foster parents Dalia and Clem, Sesame Workshop aims to highlight real transitions that many children in foster care often experience. 

In one video entitled “You Belong,” Karli struggles with finding her “place” in her new foster home and Elmo offers support as he attempts to understand her situation along the way. 

According to USA Today, the new initiative is part of the show’s Sesame Street in Communities program, which provides resources for parents, teachers and other caregivers on a range of topics, including difficult issues like foster care.

“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 Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President of US Social Impact at Sesame Workshop.

“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. By giving the adults in children’s lives the tools they need—with help from the Sesame Street Muppets—we can help both grownups and children feel seen and heard and give them a sense of hope for the future,” she added.

As the 50th anniversary of the release of show approaches, “Sesame Street” continues to be a leader in education and personal development of children.