Kids & Family
Stratford Mom Reading Books For Kids On YouTube Amid Coronavirus
Monica Short said she wanted to provide a digital story time option that would be accessible to all Stratford children.
STRATFORD, CT — The day Stratford schools closed in response to the spread of the new coronavirus, Monica Short decided to take story time online.
In recent weeks, the Eli Whitney Elementary School parent has uploaded several videos to YouTube of herself reading children's books.
“I just really just want to make sure that kids still feel connected, still have someone that reads to them,” said Short, who is a former Eli Whitney employee and co-president of the school’s parent-teacher association.
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Although Eli Whitney teachers and staff are reading stories on video through Google Classroom, Short said she wanted to provide a digital story time option that would be accessible to all Stratford children.
Her book selections target kids ranging in age from preschool to fourth grade and have included “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?,” and “I Love You, Good Night.” Short’s daughter, Summer Short, also joined in the story time project, reading “The Day the Crayons Came Home” with a friend.
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Monica said she has received positive feedback for the stories and plans to post at least three story times per week while coronavirus social distancing measures are in place.
Stratford schools have been closed since mid March, when a Wilcoxson Elementary School student was diagnosed with the new coronavirus. The school district is continuing to teach students via distance learning during a time when all Stratford residents are encouraged to stay home as the virus spreads.
“It’s a huge learning curve for teachers and kids,” Monica said, adding she has been impressed with how the town and school district have responded to the virus. “… It’s just nice to know that they were so on top of this.”
As of Sunday, there were 59 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and one virus-associated death in Stratford. Across Fairfield County, there were 3,050 confirmed cases as of Sunday, according to state data.
To watch Monica's story time videos, visit bit.ly/2XiejVM.
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