Mantua – If you stop by the Mantua Center Christian Church on any given Thursday morning, you may find the church overrun with singing, giggling preschoolers. That’s because from 10:30 – 11:30, the church hosts a free story time program for children aged two to five, their siblings, and caregivers.
Now in its 11th year, the program began when MCCC’s Pastor, Chad Delaney and his wife Christin were looking for an engaging program their own children would enjoy. With the help of volunteers, Christin, with a degree in early childhood education, developed the program that countless children and their families have continued to enjoy. From the beginning, each program includes music, two stories, and two crafts.
Thanks to supplies provided by church members and the community, story time has remained completely free to area families. If you’d like to donate supplies like bingo markers, primary color tempera paint, plastic tablecloths, washable inkpads, paper plates or bags, call the church at (330) 274-8258.
“Wonderful volunteers are there on a weekly basis, Pastor Delaney shared, “like Roger and Linda Hurd who have been there since the very beginning.” Pam Auble, Colleen Crane, retired kindergarten teacher Jane Stamm, and retired preschool teacher Terri Wilde, round out the team of dedicated volunteers.
“It’s a great avenue to get kids acclimated to following instructions,” Terri Wilde, who leads the music portion, shared. She often hears positive feedback from parents and grandparents, like, “Miss Terri, Presley was singing your songs to her dolls,” and “My boys have been singing in the car since last week!” Songs like ‘Alligator,’ “Bubblegum,’ and ‘the beanbag song’ combine with movements to help little bodies burn off extra energy, and have the same infectious qualities as the now infamous ‘Baby Shark’ song.
Each week’s stories are seasonal, based on holidays, weather, or well-loved authors like Dr. Seuss. Last week’s stories featured a wintery theme and included the adventures of “Pip and Squeak,” two mice who live in a mailbox and “Bear and Hare: Snow!” where the two animals enjoy snow day adventures. Later, each child and their grown-up made mice on an envelope sled and created a chalk-snow scene for Bear and Hare to enjoy. Attendees do not need to attend the church to participate.
“The church is very glad to have so many kids and families in the building and glad to offer a place to have this kind of activity in the community.”
“When Christin went back to work (as a kindergarten teacher at Crestwood Primary School) she, couldn’t be there, but the program hasn’t missed a beat with all the great volunteers,” beamed Pastor Chad Delaney. “The church is very glad to have so many kids and families in the building and glad to offer a place to have this kind of activity in the community,” he concluded.
Story Time is held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. every Thursday (from September thru May, as long as Crestwood Schools are in session) at the Mantua Center Christian Church, 4118 State Route 82.
In addition, the program has its own lending library where children can check out a book to borrow; there is also a Big Red Bookshelf in the building that provides books for children to take home and keep forever, courtesy of the United Way.
