Tickle me ready!
The Department of Homeland Security has announced a partnership with Sesame Workshop, the organization behind "Sesame Street," to promote emergency preparedness through a series of activities and games for families with young children.
The Sesame Street characters Grover and Rosita are the public faces for this latest program by DHS to ready the nation for natural disasters and terrorist attacks. The intent is not to scare the kids about potential catastrophes, but introduce sensible planning for unforeseen emergencies, say the program directors.
"Emergencies can happen at any time with little or no warning and, as we've seen with recent natural disasters, personal and family preparedness are critically important," said Erin Streeter, Director of the Ready Campaign for DHS. "‘Let's Get Ready!' gives parents the tools they need to talk to their young children in a very kid-friendly and non-threatening way and instill in them important information to help them deal with the unexpected."
DHS has promoted basic preparedness like having emergency kits, knowing phone numbers and escape routes for the past 5 years as part of its "Ready" campaign. The website Ready.gov offers ideas and worksheets on how to make a family plan for emergencies, including an elaborate, interactive section for Kids.
The partnership with Sesame Street adds a dose of "celebrity" to the DHS effort, which was kicked off yesterday by Meryl Chertoff, wife of DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, at a D.C. area elementary school. “We all want our children to feel safe in this world,” said Chertoff, "and who better to do that than our Sesame Street friends, Grover and Rosita!"
Grover himself issued a statement, taking care to not use any contractions of course.
“I, your furry, blue friend Grover, have a story to share. Are you wondering what it is about? I will give you an itty-bitty hint: It is about getting ready for emergencies! Oh boy, that was a big hint. Do you want to get ready, too? You do? Oh, I am so pleased. Then read this story with me, and let us get ready together!”
Too bad the kids will have to leave the Muppets behind in a real emergency.