Generational gaps are being bridged at the Iowa City Senior Center and Iowa City Public Library’s new reading program, Grand Babies Storytime with Little Ones. The series invites local parents and families to join seniors for a community story hour. It’s designed to create new relationships and form literary experiences for the youth.
The Grand Babies event meets once a month at the Senior Center, and is free to the public.
This event is a new experience where both senior citizens and the youth can indulge in stories and form bonds with people they may not have otherwise met.
“It’s a way for generations to connect with the community, although the turnout for these events hasn’t been too high in numbers.” Angela Pilkington, the children’s services coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library, said.
“Intergenerational story times have proven to have significant benefits for not only the little ones and their caregivers, but also for seniors in our community who just need social interaction,” Pilkington said. “Sometimes just that small quantity of people is what’s needed at the start. But consistency is the key, and we’ll keep building the community bigger each time.”
With these events being new, not many people know about them besides a handful of parents and frequent visitors to the senior center. The organizers hope to have more people turn up to these events as time goes on.
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“We’d like to build a community and learn about each other, and what benefits we can all share within different age groups. Interacting together just builds a stronger community, builds a stronger city, and a stronger network,” Pilkington said.
For some, it can be the only interaction they get, or the only connections they have to the outside world. In some cases, it can just be a warm event that helps others connect to those around them.
Iowa City Senior Center Director Latasha DeLoach said core parts of the event’s mission is to prevent people from being isolated and providing joy.
“It’s important for seniors to have people in their lives who can check in on them, so why not have some younger families come together and share some love,” DeLoach.
DeLoach said the storytime brings together two generations to make a stronger and safer community.
During each storytime event, seniors sit in a semi-circle with kids sitting quietly in their strollers, listening along. The seniors read books ranging from “The Rainbow Fish” to “Little Red Ridinghood,” or listen to songs, which play in the background.
Through this event, the seniors get a chance to engage with the infants and toddlers, while the kids get to enjoy time outside their home with others.
Jessica Bremer, a parent who frequents these events, said the storytimes are especially important for those who don’t have family in the area or to make new friends.
“We’re not near any family, and it’s important for my daughter to be able to see older folks and interact with them. It’s important for more people to come, especially for the folks in the senior center, and those at the library as well,” Bremer said. “I know it can be hard for parents, but it really is fun for the kids too, with songs and stories.”