Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Sesame Workshop Chooses Guilford County For Pilot Program

Sesame Workshop will pilot a new educational program in Guilford County. (Credit Courtesy Sesame Workshop)

Guilford County has been selected for yet another educational program aimed at helping children achieve. The pilot program is being developed by the organization that produces Sesame Street.

Guilford County was chosen – along with Los Angeles and Kansas City – to be a test site for the “Sesame Street in Communities” program.

The effort is aimed at vulnerable families and at-risk children up to age six, and will provide online resources to help those families with early learning, social well-being, and health matters.

Representatives at the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that oversees Sesame Street properties, says they chose Guilford because it showed a strong track record of community collaboration and an interest in empowering vulnerable families.

“The amount of support the initiative has already garnered in Guilford County is an indication of the impact Sesame can have in communities across the nation,” said Sesame Workshop's Jeanette Betancourt.

The project comes on the heels of Guilford being chosen as a "Say Yes to Education" community, a major initiative which provides scholarships to high school students and additional resources to younger ones.

Sesame's partner organizations have already begun meeting, and plan to follow up with focus groups this winter to talk about the challenges the community faces.

Sean Bueter joined WFDD in August 2015 as a reporter covering issues across the Piedmont Triad and beyond.Previously, Sean was a reporter, host and news director at WBOI in Fort Wayne, Ind., just a few hours from where he grew up. He also sorted Steve Inskeep's mail as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C.Sean has experience on a variety of beats, including race, wealth and poverty, economic development, and more. His work has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and APM's Marketplace.In his spare time, Sean plays tennis (reasonably well), golf (reasonably poorly), and scours local haunts for pinball machines to conquer.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate