Tufts University Dental Students Bring Multilingual Storytelling to Kids
Date: Ongoing
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) students have launched an innovative initiative called StoryTime!, engaging children with captivating multilingual storytelling. Spearheaded by Ashley Makala, a dental student from the Class of 2023, StoryTime! offers a collection of videos featuring 40 TUSDM students reading various children's books in different languages. This project, initiated during the peak of the pandemic in 2020, serves as a community service effort by the Student National Dental Association (SNDA) and aims to promote childhood literacy while inspiring young students of color to consider dentistry as a future career path.
Motivated by the decline in children's literacy skills resulting from school closures, Makala sought to foster literacy within underrepresented communities. Partnering with Nancy Marks, the Tisch College/TUSDM Community Service Program Coordinator, Makala explored virtual reading possibilities to reach children learning from home. In November 2020, she called for volunteers from the SNDA, and an impressive response of 18 students eagerly stepped forward. To expand the project's vision, Makala invited Nickeisha Louis-Elias, Amber Courtney, and Arika Neal-Branch, fellow SNDA members, to co-lead StoryTime! with her. Recognizing the diverse language backgrounds within the TUSDM community, they decided to include books in multiple languages.
Supporting their efforts, Arika Neal-Branch secured a grant from the Tisch Fund for Civic Engagement in February 2021. The grant allowed the organizers to purchase new books, cover operational expenses, and refine the reading and recording process. With the addition of 25 new volunteers, including 15 returning readers from the initial group, StoryTime! expanded its reach. The team collectively spoke ten languages, elevating the project beyond its initial offering of Spanish and English readings. Throughout 2021, with guidance from Martha Forero, assistant professor and director of school-based student outreach programs, the StoryTime! video collection underwent careful review and editing, ensuring high quality and consistency.
Free for members
Keep reading — it's free
The rest of this article is open to DentalReach members. Create a free account, or sign in, and every article on the site opens in full.
