As elementary students around the county continue to tackle literacy comprehension, the Baldwin County Board of Education has taken an approach to enlist the help of a furry friend to get students excited about reading both in and out of the classroom.

Short the Squirrel is a literacy program that was started by Monica Anderson Young and Dee Dupree in 2020. The Mobile and Daphne locals said they were inspired to create the program after noticing children at the courthouse lacked materials to entertain themselves while in the courtroom. The idea quickly blossomed into a literacy program focused on inspiring students to read during idle time, which the co-founders hope will turn into a statewide initiative.

Janice Simon, lead teacher, said "Short" has visited many schools across the county since the program was started over two years ago.

"Each school has the autonomy on how they want to utilize the Short the Squirrel literacy program," Simon said. "This year, the program has been featured in a parade, a library visit and a program in a school auditorium."

However, Simon said the program's mission always remains the same.

"The message is always the same: read. Nothing is as important as learning to read," Simon said. "This is a unique literacy initiative that transforms 'waiting' time into reading time."

Simon said one unique aspect of the program is the book series centers around the character of "Short."

"The program offers titles of Short-featured books like 'Short Goes To Town,'" Simon said. "Each student receives a book, crayons and a sticker featuring 'Short.' The books are of great quality and are blacklined so that students can customize the pages."

According to Simon, the titles all feature a link to the curricular themes found in the county's standards and are classified in several core subjects ranging from English language arts to science.

Simon also said that while the county has only started using the program this school year and data is not yet available, teachers have noticed positive impacts surrounding their students motivation to read.

"So far it has achieved our aim; students are enjoying a great book, a wholesome message and feeling joy," Simon said. "What I do know is that children adore Short and listen to his message (to) read."

It also seems that Young and Bennett's hopes are on their way to fruition, as the program was publicly endorsed by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2020 and named Alabama's literacy mascot.

The statement came shortly after Ivey signed the Alabama Literacy Act declaring all Alabama children will be reading on or above grade level by third grade.

"A student who is not reading on grade level by the end of third grade is four times less likely to finish high school. With only 35% of our third graders in Alabama proficient in reading at grade level, it is important that we continue to work to find ways to promote literacy in all aspects of a child's life," Ivey wrote in a November 2020 statement. "I proudly support Short the Squirrel organization's mission of providing content-rich materials designed to entertain while also educate our youngest citizens."