ELMO: Yeah, that's him.
KATIE COURIC: Right there?
ELMO: Yeah, Uncle Jack was funny.
KATIE COURIC: Ah, I can see why you really miss him, Elmo.
ELMO: Yeah, Miss Katie.
He was Elmo's favorite uncle.
KATIE COURIC: But it's so great that at least we can
talk about him, right?
ELMO: Yeah.
KATIE COURIC: You know, when you're talking to kids about
someone who died sometimes it's hard to find the words.
That's why the people who create Sesame Street invite
you to join us for a very special program.
NARRATOR: The creators of Sesame Street have developed
When Families Grieve, a new outreach initiative to support
families with young children cope with
the death of a parent.
When Families Grieve will launch with the premiere of a
new prime time television special on PBS featuring the
Sesame Street Muppets and hosted by Katie Couric.
KATIE COURIC: I lost my husband almost 12 years ago
when my daughters were six and two, and I didn't think there
were enough resources out there to really help us deal
with the loss, deal with his illness before he died, and
really start coping with life without him.
So when I was approached, I thought, gosh, I really do
want to help other families with this, and it just seemed
to be a perfect fit because I understand what they're going
through, and I want to help them as well.
NARRATOR: When Families Grieve will present family's personal
stories about coping with the death of a parent as well as
strategies that have helped these families move forward.
GIRL: One of my teachers, she had lost her dad, too and she
said that she would always write letters to him.
And then I started writing letters and that
made me feel better.
NARRATOR: When Families Grieve will harness the unique
approach that Sesame takes in addressing children's needs
using the Sesame Street Muppets to aid the
communication between adults and children with child
appropriate language and strategies that are useful for
the whole family.
UNCLE LOUIS: It's hard to talk about someone who died because
it brings up all those big feelings.
It can be kind of scary.
UNCLE LOUIS' NIECE: Yeah, it just makes me feel too sad.
UNCLE LOUIS: Yeah, sometimes I feel sad too when I think
about your dad.
UNCLE LOUIS' NIECE: It just isn't fair.
I mean, why did he have to die, Uncle Louis?
Why isn't he here?
NARRATOR: The death of a parent is one of the most
difficult things a child can face, but children are not the
only ones who feel overwhelmed and experience
change in their behavior.
Grieving is a family experience, and thus, the
entire family needs support during this
most difficult time.
KATIE COURIC: What kinds of things were helpful to you all
as parents and as a family after your spouses died?
FEMALE SPEAKER: Family support was really, really helpful,
and I had friends who called every day and would just say,
just checking in, would just be there to listen.
NARRATOR: When Families Grieve is a continuation of Sesame
workshops award winning Talk, Listen, Connect initiative
that first launched in 2006, providing resources and
emotional support to military families with young children.
Sesame Workshop will distribute almost 1 million
free kits to families in organizations within the
military and the general public that provide services
and resources to grieving families.
KATIE COURIC: I think it's critically important to talk
to your kids about these things because they need to
express themselves during terrifying
and confusing times.
Suddenly their world is shattered, they no longer feel
safe, and they don't understand what happened.
And it's hard enough for adults, but imagine what
children are experiencing.
So any time yo can start a conversation and make them
feel safe in expressing their sadness, I think it's a really
important step in the healing process.
[SINGING]: Someone you love is gone.
You are always going to find that you need to give your
heart a little time.
NARRATOR: When Families Grieve will air on PBS on April 14,
at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Please check your local listings.