In a recent video shared by Sesame Workshop, the Sesame Street characters were met with a lawn littered with leaves, broken branches, and dirt-covered pavement after a fierce storm. What initially seemed like a challenging cleanup task for Rudy, Abby Cadabby, and her mom soon became manageable when they realized that teamwork was the solution. After hours of cleaning, gathering, and sorting, the garden was restored to its original state. "Cleaning up was easy peasy because we all worked together," Rudy said, as they celebrated their accomplishment.

This reflects the core of the Little Neighbors Program, which attendees from across the country, including Brazil, were excited to learn about during a recent webinar with Sesame Workshop.

"I'm thrilled to introduce the Sesame Workshop Little Neighbors program to my children, community, and local PTA. The program offers so many valuable insights on science, literacy, and tools to foster healthy relationships and respect for differences," shared Kendall Ademu-John, Outreach Public Affairs Manager at PSEG.

The animated video is just one of many created through the collaboration between the PSEG Foundation and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street. In a bid to inspire young children to become good neighbors in their communities, PSEG and Sesame Workshop teamed up to create engaging activities that help children learn how they can positively impact both their local communities and the wider world.

"This is an invaluable resource for us, especially since we have seven preschool classrooms. We've found that teaching social-emotional learning skills helps young children better understand their feelings and manage them effectively. Sharing relatable content with both teachers and students will make these topics more accessible," said Tracy Hewitt, STEM Program Leader at Millhill Child & Family Development Corporation in Trenton, NJ.

Over the past decade, the PSEG Foundation and Sesame Workshop have partnered to create numerous free resources for children, families, and educational institutions. This milestone was celebrated earlier this year in Paterson, NJ, with a special appearance by Elmo.

“These new resources, expanding on the Little Neighbors initiative, were designed to empower young children and their families to take an active role in caring for their communities. We want to remind children that they can make a significant difference, no matter how small they are, in helping to build a better world. We are incredibly proud of our ongoing partnership with the PSEG Foundation on this vital work,” said Zoe Rochman, U.S. Social Impact Content Manager at Sesame Workshop.

Watch Maria Spina, Manager of PSEG Foundation & Corporate Social Responsibility, and Jeanette Betancourt, Ed.D., SVP of U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop, discuss the Little Neighbors program with Steve Adubato. You can also explore sesame.org/LittleNeighbors for a variety of free resources, including creative exercises, scavenger hunts, nature journaling prompts, outdoor activities, and more, available in both English and Spanish.