Mission

​

When schools and libraries began shutting down during the global pandemic, there was a surge in the usage of digital platforms as a means to learning. While teachers focused on having core academic standards met, other integral components of learning, such as storytelling, were overlooked in the midst of e-learning. Thus, StoryTown was born. 

​

Challenging for teachers to execute during the shift to remote instruction, read-alouds became difficult to perform. Storytelling that is done at the primary and elementary level introduces children to the foundations of reading and writing. Reading aloud to children stimulates their imagination and widens their view of the world. Additionally, read-alouds help children develop listening skills, language, and prepares them for written expression. With this in mind, StoryTown upholds a platform that offers children active engagement with stories through digital storytelling.

​

Inclusion and Support for English Language Learners (ELL) 

StoryTown aims for all children to benefit from its content regardless of their skills and abilities. In order to attain its goal of inclusivity, StoryTown offers children who may be blind or visually impaired the opportunity to aurally engage in storytelling through its application of various sound effects, tone, pitch, and sometimes whacky intonation. Audiobooks for children often require purchasing them, while StoryTown offers parents and classrooms easy and free access to these resources.

​

Children who may be hard of hearing or deaf can also benefit from StoryTown as they may engage in storytelling through its use of bright visuals accompanied by closed captions.

 

These supplements also benefit individuals that are English Language Learners (ELL). Actively seeking ways to make its content accessible, StoryTown is able to bring stories to life for all types of learners.

​

Bilingual/Dual Instruction (Spanish) 

With an increase of diverse learners across the globe, differentiation is vital. More specifically, the United States alone consists of over 40 million native Spanish speakers! That being said, StoryTown offers read-alouds in the Spanish language for its diverse viewers and/or those seeking to learn a new language. Simultaneously, StoryTown aims to give voice to the Latino community through literature!  

​

Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

Since mental health is often stigmatized, it is beneficial for children to approach it at a young age. Because social emotional learning has proven to positively affect mental health and depression, educator growth, and and the overall development in children, StoryTown not only offers engaging stories for children but also attends to the social and emotional needs of children.