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When children enter PH Coffee in Kansas City, Missouri’s Pendleton Heights neighborhood, they often head straight for the room in the back — the kids' zone.
On Mondays at 10 a.m., volunteers read books aloud to children gathered in the space.
“It’s really cool seeing the volunteers do what they want with storytime and engage the kiddos,” said Afton Bradley, event coordinator at PH Coffee.
She said the coffee shop launched the program in 2020, but put it on pause during much of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to provide a space where children can develop healthy habits around reading.
“I think it’s a cool way for kids to explore,” Bradley said. “They don’t know the whole world yet, so reading is a great way for them to do that."
Five-year-old Kimaya participated in a recent storytime session at the coffee shop. She already loves reading.
“Sometimes I know how to read by saying the words," Kimaya said. "I say it quietly by looking at the pictures to see what’s happening, and that’s how I want to read."
The nonprofit of KSHB 41 News’ corporate owner, the Scripps Howard Fund, is collecting donations to buy books for children. The “If You Give a Child a Book…” campaign is currently underway.
Donated dollars will help the fund and Scholastic buy books to give to students for free at Lindbergh Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas, and JA Rogers Elementary School in Kansas City, Missouri.
“Reading is fundamental to a kid’s creativity, a kid’s mind and how they just view the world,” said Q Wright, who brought Kimaya to the PH Coffee event.
While the “If You Give a Child a Book…” campaign is separate from PH Coffee’s storytime, both initiatives center around the importance of reading at an early age.
“They (books) give you good, good lessons,” Kimaya said.
You can make a donation to the "If You Give a Child a Book..." campaign online.
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