Park City Mayor Nann Worel stopped by the Park City Library PC Tots classroom on Tuesday morning to read to some of the organization’s preschoolers. The visit was part of a small Veterans Day activity focused on helping children understand service and community roles.
Executive Director Sue Banerjee said the organization wanted the children to connect the idea of Veterans Day to a real person they see in their community.
“We serve children from working families who live or work in Park City,” Banerjee said. “Given that it’s Veterans Day, we wanted to have our pre-K classrooms hear from a veteran about their service and what it means. We couldn’t think of a better person than the mayor of Park City, who is a veteran.”
Worel, a former Navy nurse, read “My Military Parent,” by Julie Murray, which Banerjee said they chose because it introduces military service in ways young children can grasp. The story touches on what it means when a parent has a job that may require being away, and emphasizes how much families in and out of the military have in common.
Veterans Day, which is celebrated every Nov. 11, is meant to honor and show gratitude to all people who have served in the U.S. military.
“The concept of being in the military can be very abstract for 3 to 5 year olds,” Banerjee said. “Children see their parents doing different occupations. So we wanted to introduce the idea in a way they could understand: What if my parent was in the military? What would that be like?”
After the story, the children asked Worel questions, including what it’s like to serve as mayor. Many of them lined up to give her hugs and high fives before she left.
“It means everything to me,” Worel said. “The best part of my job is to get to talk to our littlest residents.”
Banerjee said visits like this are part of PC Tots’ approach to learning, finding opportunities that are interesting and meaningful to children and help enhance the classroom experience.
“We try to do things that are interesting and stimulating for our children, to enhance our curriculum,” she said. “And that’s part of this as well.”