- Hi, everyone, Steve Adubato.

We kick off the program with a really important conversation with two leaders making a difference.

First, Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President for U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop, you know, Sesame Street, Sesame Workshop.

Maria Spina, also with us, Manager of PSEG Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Maria and Jeanette, good to see you.

- Good to see you, Steve.

- Nice to see you, Steve.

- You got it.

Maria, tee this up.

There's a partnership between the PSEG Foundation, one of our longtime underwriters, and the Sesame Street Workshop.

What's the partnership, and what impact is it having?

Please, Maria.

- Yeah, Steve, this partnership is actually longstanding.

It's been just about 10 years now since the Foundation really has been working with Sesame on a number of materials focused very much after Hurricane Sandy, specifically with programs that focused on emergency preparedness and disaster preparedness, and then it sort of evolved from there into the recent program, the Little Neighbors Program, which is focused on environmental sustainability.

But the beauty about all of these programs is that childhood education, in simple fundamental steps, is weaved throughout these programs, all of those social-emotional learning aspects that are so important to children, to young people, to families, and to our communities.

- So as Maria lays this out, Dr. Betancourt, we're putting up some information for people to find out more on the websites, the Little Neighbors Program, make it real for us in terms of impact.

Please, Doctor.

- Little Neighbors, the program, what it allows us is to bring early childhood and the importance of young children in the community, so in this phase of our work together, it is basically how young children are part of a team, part of a community, and in fact, the title, Little Neighbors, really emphasizes that.

One of the things that we've done is actually created resources, and particularly, four wonderful animations.

One shows where we have a community garden, and this kind of a rough wind that happens, and Abby, her family, and her Sesame Street friends- - Wait.

Can we, can we tell everyone who Abby is?

'Cause Abby's a key figure.

- Oh, Abby is Elmo's friend, - Yeah.

- and we see that they are always together, and really a wonderful, wonderful partnership and friendship for two wonderful Muppet friends on Sesame Street.

- Yeah.

So go back.

Abby's in the garden.

Go ahead.

- Abby's in the garden, and it's the next day, and they're working together as a community to again rebuild that garden, and what we're seeing is the contributions of young children as not only teammates, but also as part of a community and a neighborhood.

We have other animations, where, for example, Julia is helping with her mom, and Julia is a wonderful, autistic Muppet on Sesame Street, as well, and she and her mom are working at the community center, and doing, again, working together with the community drive, and how they are contributing.

We have another one where our Muppets are helping the Twiddlebugs build a little playground, and also another one where we have a new resident in Sesame Street, and it's that Little Bird, and Elmo, and Abby are helping them build a little bird house.

So what we're seeing is that connection and power of early childhood and young children, and the value that we need to place on the fact that in our communities, young children are not only part of the neighborhood, but they're key contributors at an early age to the community.

- I like how Jeanette said this.

Maria, let me ask you, Dr. Betancourt talks, really, about, it's called environmental awareness, but is it?

It's more than awareness, isn't it, Maria?

It's action.

Please.

- It certainly is.

And you know, the interesting thing is, some of the ways we're seeing our partners work with the program is by incorporating it into the classroom in family outreach programs, so it's really ensuring that children are actively engaged with the activities that bring it to life for them.

So it is far more than environmental sustainability.

It includes that component of social-emotional learning that is so important for young people.

It's relatable to them.

Maria, as a grantor, how do you measure the, quote, "impact" of this work?

Maria?

- That's a great question, Steve, and it stems far beyond this partnership with Sesame Workshop.

Quite honestly, it is extensive, and when we think about impact, we know that the work that we're doing is supporting people's lives, it's helping make a difference.

It's contributing factors that are just part of everyday life for people, and making that change, and providing that supplemental support that is needed in many different ways to connect the dots.

That's what impact is really about.

- Dr. Betancourt, the work that is being done here with Little Neighbors, describe what you believe the impact is on quote, unquote, "future generations" and the quality of our lives.

- Absolutely.

One of the things is that with PSEG Foundation, and particularly Maria's leadership in this work, they understand that we need to start early, in early childhood, and we often forget the value and contributions that young children can make.

So the impact is dual; one, to bring awareness about these kinds of efforts and what young children can do, but then it's also setting, for young children and the adults in their lives, a way that we're understanding how to build their resilience, their emotional well-being, but also this idea of contributing within community early on, and if we establish those skills as a Foundation, that means that as children grow into school age, their youth, and adults, they're committed to, really, their communities, and understand their input, both in terms of society, the environment, and for themselves.

- You know, Maria, without kissing up too much to the Foundation, a long-time supporter, not just of our work, but also of public broadcasting, overall, there's a history here, and Sesame Street, let's just say, has a history with public broadcasting, as well, why is this work so important for the Foundation to fund?

Because lots of requests, and we know, 'cause we have these conversations every year, you're hit with a lot of requests.

- Yep.

- Why this work?

Please.

- Yeah, I mean, this work is very important.

It really is aligned with our core corporate vision, the Foundation's vision, as well, in regards to environmental sustainability, but as Dr. Jeanette Betancourt mentioned, the important way to start with integrating this type of work is from children.

You start at the bottom, and you go up from there.

So when we think about community, it's across the board, it's lateral, it's, you know, horizontal, it's many different ways that we think about incorporating this work.

Our employees are active in our community, they are part of our community, and so sharing this work is very important in many different ways.

- And finally, in 2025, Jeanette, real quick, before I let you go, one major goal in 2025, beyond what the work is, the work you're doing already.

Please, Doctor.

- We will continue to work on trauma and the impact of trauma, we will continue on environmental sustainability.

And then something as we're looking ahead, digital well-being.

- Whoa!

Did you say digital well-being, someone?

(Jeanette and Maria laugh) That's an area for the Foundation as well?

- This is separate from PSEG, but keep in mind that it's the use of digital media - Yeah.

- with all these resources, and how do we look at that holistically?

- Yeah, but for the Foundation, you're concerned, as well, for the overuse and abuse... Nevermind, I'll get off my... With four kids, trust me, that's my issue, that's not yours.

- That's a different topic.

- Yeah.

- It's one that we could do for the future, Steve.

- We will.

To Dr. Betancourt, to Maria, thank you so much for joining us.

Well said, thank you.

We'll see you soon - Thank you, Steve.

- Thank you.

- You got it.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

- [Narrator] Think Tank with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Celebrating 30 years in public broadcasting.

Funding has been provided by New Jersey Children’s Foundation.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Valley Bank.

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The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

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NJM Insurance Group.

The Fidelco Group.

And by The Adler Aphasia Center.

Promotional support provided by Meadowlands Media.

And by New Jersey Globe.

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