Storytime: "Creatively and safely impacting the community"

Storytime, a new program designed to help with literacy and learning during the pandemic, is being launched this week by the Honors College at Youngstown State University.

The weekly program debuts 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26 on the YSU Honors College YouTube channel and features honors students and alumni reading children’s books to educate and entertain young viewers.

“We came up with Storytime as a way to help parents who could benefit from having access to high quality programming for their children one night a week,” said Amy Cossentino, Honors College dean. “Though every family’s needs vary, this is one small way our students can serve creatively and safely and make an impact on the community.”

The 20- to 30-minute episodes will air through the end of the academic year in May 2021 and are geared primarily to families with preschool and elementary-aged children, regardless of whether they are currently learning in school or remotely.

Honors College students have enjoyed selecting their books and, in some cases, sharing their own childhood favorites like Lauren Rager, junior Anthropology major, who read How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? “It was so much fun remembering how much I loved this book as a kid and getting to share it with children in our community,” she said.

Featured among the books are stories connected to holidays, and a special winter holiday episode is scheduled for Dec. 21.

The Honors College has adapted and continued to serve the community throughout the pandemic. Students have served together virtually through transcribe-a-thons, preserving hundreds of pages of history, and in person through socially distant opportunities. Students volunteering for Storytime read their books alone in a room so masks can be removed.