Evidence for Investment: New research on effective early childhood development programming in humanitarian settings

Ahlan Simsim (“Welcome Sesame” in Arabic)—a groundbreaking initiative from Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) funded by the MacArthur Foundation and the LEGO Foundation—is a multi-year investment to address those gaps. As the largest early childhood intervention in the history of humanitarian response, Ahlan Simsim is reaching children, caregivers, and ECD facilitators with programming, resources, and the support they need to thrive.

Three new randomized controlled trials led by New York University Global TIES for Children (NYU-TIES) provide new insights on what works to improve children’s holistic development. The findings indicate that remote programs can support children’s development and caregivers’ well-being and demonstrate the power of integrating educational media with ECD services. These results have significant implications for delivering child development interventions in humanitarian and other contexts where traditional in-person services are not available.