US Government and Sesame Workshop India Trust launch Learn Play Grow program at American Center

New Delhi: As part of International Education Week, the US Government and Sesame Workshop India Trust inaugurated Learn Play Grow at the American Center in New Delhi on Wednesday, according to a press release. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAD) and Sesame Workshop India Trust collaborated on the initiative, which supports early childhood education and health practices for young children and their families across India, according to the release.

Learn Play Grow will provide children in Rajasthan and Telangana the fundamental skills in literacy, numeracy, and hygiene via interactive learning facilitated by Sesame Street characters Chamki, Elmo, and their pals. Digital material in Hindi and Telugu will reach millions more people nationwide.

“Today’s launch of Learn Play Grow represents a step forward in our U.S.-India education partnership,” said U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti. Through this initiative, we’re making early learning interesting and accessible by delivering health and educational materials straight to kids and families. In addition to helping India’s young students, our investments in programs like Learn Play Grow are strengthening communities and paving the way for better futures across the country. The United States and India are working together to realize a common goal of universal access to high-quality education.

With an emphasis on inclusive and gender-equitable education, the inaugural event showcased USAID-supported projects that promote the Government of India’s NIPUN Bharat objective for universal basic reading and numeracy.

Underscoring the US government’s commitment to accessible education for all, particularly girls and marginalized communities, Ambassador Garcetti displayed displays that highlighted USAID’s impact on India’s education vision, including gender-inclusive classrooms, support for children with disabilities, and multilingual resources. Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Chamki from Sesame Street also attended the occasion.

Driven by play-based pedagogy, the Learn Play Grow program will be implemented in over 1,000 Anganwadi Centers in the districts of Baran, Rajasthan, and Bhupalpally, Telangana. Its objective is to reach millions of people through digital programming and engage 20,000 to 25,000 children and their families.

“With USAID, through the Learn Play Grow initiative, we’re building a foundation where children can grow smarter, stronger, and kinder,” said Sonali Khan, Managing Trustee, Sesame Workshop India Trust.

Learn, Play, Grow’s debut today is a continuation of the US Government’s long-standing initiatives to empower educators and develop early education institutions in order to promote inclusive learning, foundational reading, and numeracy.

USAID improves curriculum design, teacher training, and digital technologies to promote early learning in a variety of contexts via programs including the Scaling-up Early Reading Intervention (with Room to Read) and the India Partnership for Early Learning (with CARE USA).

The Learning and Innovation in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (with British Asian Trust) initiative mobilizes private investment to bring sustainable, innovative solutions to public education, while the Equity in Access to Numeracy and Basic Literacy Education (with Pratham India) program guarantees that children with disabilities have equitable access to foundational skills.

The leading international development organization in the world, USAID is a catalyst for progress. India and the United States are working together to accomplish common global development goals.