Lorain with Littles and Rising Titans Readiness Readiness Collaborative are coming together to help the county’s youngest residents.
Rising Titans, powered by the United Way of Lorain County, aims to design a system that will help parents prepare their children for kindergarten from birth.
Lorain with Littles is an aspiring nonprofit with a mission to share free and affordable activities for families with young children.
The collaborative storytime took place Aug. 15 at Puskas Pavilion Outdoor Party Center, 2493 North Ridge Road.
Parents and youngsters age 5 and younger gathered for storytime, crafts, dancing and bubbles.
As a new generation of youth born during the novel coronavirus pandemic prepare to enter school, Rising Titans Director Katelyn Gonzalez said the group is focusing on social emotional learning.
“We will always work on fine motor skills in youth, but social emotional and communication is off the Richter scale right now, which we didn’t see pre-pandemic,” Gonzalez said. “More engagement and preventative intervention is better for these kids because the risk is up.”
Gonzalez said parent engagement makes all the difference in youngsters.
“Families have to be engaged in the learning process, and these events put families on a district’s radar,” she said. “Our target is always to focus on developmental standards for school readiness.”
Lorain with Littles was founded by two Lorain stay-at-home moms Sarah Puskas and Anneisa Truman.
“We met at a library storytime, and we became friends first,” Puskas said. “As parents, we’re able to see how our kids react to different activities and events which helps us create our own format.”
“As stay-at-home moms, we try to have a more relaxed and casual environment for other families,” Truman said. “They know that we’re just moms throwing it all together, and we have the opportunity to learn and grow.”
Puskas, whose family owns the pavilion and outdoor event space, said she’s grateful for their support.
“My grandfather started Puskas back in the 1940s, so we’ve been around for a while,” she said. “Our goal is to continue to renovate and expand the space so we can continue to have great events and host Lorain with Littles here permanently.”
Lorain with Littles founders said they hope to continue formally structuring the organization in the months to come.
“We’ve really been gathering our bearings and finding our niche,” Puskas said. “This year has been such a growing and learning experience.”
The last Lorain with Littles storytime will take place from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Aug. 24, at Puskas Pavilion Outdoor Party Center.
