The "Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration," project seeks to support young children and families who are experiencing this life-changing circumstance, Sesame Street said in a statement.
Here is a little bit of the bilingual (English and Spanish) initiative.
The toolkit has tips like telling a child to hold a picture of their incarcerated parent while they talk to them on the phone.
On Twitter many said they understood why the program exists, but found it sad nonetheless.
Libertarian magazine, Reason, had this response:
Sesame Street says defense contractor BAE Systems is a major donor for the project, which the Atlantic Wire calls "the most awkward part."
The British contractor, whose U.S. subsidiary is one of the largest suppliers to the Department of Defense, depends — like many other defense contractors — on the low-overhead labor of prisoners incarcerated at for-profit facilities. That said, BAE has a large philanthropic arm, and perhaps "Little Children, Big Challenges" was one of the more obvious projects to support.