Stauffer's Simply Animals with Sabetha Wells
In this episode of Reading Inspires, Dr. Erin Bailey speaks with Sabetha Wells, Quality Assurance Lead at Stauffer's Biscuit Company, about the connection between snack time and story time as Stauffer’s celebrates 155 years and Reading Is Fundamental marks its 60th anniversary. Sabetha reflects on how her grandmother’s tradition of reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas! while sharing Stauffer’s holiday cookies inspired her love of reading and ultimately influenced her career. She also discusses the careful safety and quality standards behind the company’s new Simply Animals crackers, which are peanut-free and made without high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors. The conversation highlights how the crackers’ 13 animal shapes can spark imaginative play, expand vocabulary, and support early literacy, and introduces the partnership book Bryson’s Rocket Riddles, with 20% of proceeds benefiting RIF’s literacy programs.
About Sabetha Wells:
Sabetha Wells is a seasoned food safety and quality executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning manufacturing, food processing, regulatory compliance, and cross‑functional quality systems management. As Vice President of Food Safety and Quality at Meiji America/Stauffer’s Biscuit Company, she provides strategic leadership and technical expertise across two major production facilities, ensuring all products meet or exceed customer expectations, GFSI standards, and regulatory requirements. In this role, she guides executive decision‑making, mentors plant and corporate teams, and drives forward‑looking initiatives that elevate food safety culture, operational excellence, and organizational capability.
As Reading Is Fundamental celebrates 60 years of advancing children’s literacy, we’re excited to partner with Stauffer’s Simply Animals during National Reading Month. Together, we’re connecting snack time with story time to spark imagination and encourage families to make reading a daily habit. Inspired by Bryson, one of the Simply Animals characters, our organizations co-created the book Bryson’s Rocket Riddles, designed to inspire curiosity, playful learning, and a love of reading. A portion of the proceeds from the book will support RIF’s literacy programs, helping expand access to books and reading resources for children nationwide. To order, visit www.simplyanimals.com.
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Erin Bailey: Welcome to Reading Inspires by Reading is Fundamental.00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:05.229
I'm your host, Dr. Erin Bailey.00:00:05.439 --> 00:00:08.859
This podcast celebrates the power of books and the joy of reading.00:00:09.099 --> 00:00:15.484
In each episode, we talk with educators, librarians, families, authors, and literacy champions to explore one big question.00:00:16.344 --> 00:00:18.054
What does Reading inspire for you?00:00:18.294 --> 00:00:25.974
Through stories, research, and real world experiences from classrooms, libraries, and homes, we explore what literacy looks like and why it matters.00:00:26.274 --> 00:00:31.554
Whether you're nurturing young minds, shaping learning spaces, or simply love a good book, we're glad you're here.00:00:31.764 --> 00:00:34.224
Be sure to subscribe and get the latest episode.00:00:34.304 --> 00:00:35.654
Let's get inspired.00:00:35.924 --> 00:00:45.884
We are con continuing to celebrate March as National Reading Month, and today I'm joined by Beha Wells who leads quality assurance at Stoffers.00:00:46.124 --> 00:00:51.974
She's an expert in what it takes to earn the trust and everyday moments with families as Stoffers celebrates.00:00:52.179 --> 00:00:56.409
155 years and RIF celebrates 60 years.00:00:56.539 --> 00:00:59.299
Staffers is proud to introduce Simply Animals.00:00:59.329 --> 00:01:07.279
This is an updated product that's produced in a peanut-free facility and made without high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors.00:01:07.499 --> 00:01:13.349
We're chatting today to talk about what it means to nourish children's bodies as well as their minds.00:01:13.539 --> 00:01:18.399
How snack time and story time can play a powerful role in literacy rituals.00:01:18.399 --> 00:01:19.744
So welcome sbe.00:01:21.014 --> 00:01:21.554
Sabetha Wells: Thank you.00:01:21.554 --> 00:01:22.634
Thank you for having me.00:01:23.264 --> 00:01:26.924
Erin Bailey: So when you think of the question, what does reading inspire for you?00:01:26.924 --> 00:01:29.384
What is the first memory that comes to mind?00:01:30.524 --> 00:01:33.674
Sabetha Wells: Well, it's it's actually kind of funny that you.00:01:34.034 --> 00:01:57.454
Asked this question because it's also one of the reasons that I came to work for Stauffers biscuit Company was our, my grandma Margie, my brothers and I, she would read
to us the Grinch that Sold, stole Christmas all year long, and it became a really special time at Christmas when she would also have Stoffers holiday shortbread cookies.00:01:57.989 --> 00:02:01.349
For us to have and snack on as she read that story to us.00:02:01.349 --> 00:02:06.089
So it's, that's my earliest memory of a book that I truly loved.00:02:06.089 --> 00:02:09.369
And of course that was the first book I learned to read.00:02:10.154 --> 00:02:10.944
Erin Bailey: That is so sweet.00:02:10.944 --> 00:02:19.954
We're, we are big Grinch fans in the Bailey household and my daughter, who's five, wears a Grinch sweater pretty much all year round.00:02:19.954 --> 00:02:21.214
So we can relate to that.00:02:22.369 --> 00:02:22.609
Sabetha Wells: Yeah.00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:27.649
Erin Bailey: So you have a big title of quality assurance at staffers.00:02:27.709 --> 00:02:32.269
What is something that you feel like people misunderstand about quality assurance in food?00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:33.850
Sabetha Wells: Okay.00:02:33.850 --> 00:02:43.945
Well, I think one of the things is that while having the same great taste every time, having the product look the same, feel the same, have the wonderful, you know, is.00:02:44.290 --> 00:02:48.550
Signif signature flavors and crunch of animal crackers, for example.00:02:48.830 --> 00:02:50.870
We, we wanna have that be consistent.00:02:50.870 --> 00:02:55.140
So that's definitely what quality, one of the aspects of quality assurance.00:02:55.140 --> 00:03:06.460
But I think the thing that kind of gets missed a little bit is the millions of little things that the folks do here at Stauffers Biscuit Company, making the products.00:03:06.860 --> 00:03:22.230
That put into each aspect of the product, whether it's sourcing the ingredients from vendors down to understanding their expectations and follow through on food safety matters all the way through to the end of the product.00:03:22.230 --> 00:03:26.010
There's a great deal of, of effort in every.00:03:26.195 --> 00:03:43.625
Step, every ingredient, every process that ensures that the product is safely delivered to our customers in the manner you would expect so
that you're only getting the ingredients that are listed on the label and that those are, are good for you and result in a pleasant experience.00:03:44.850 --> 00:03:49.950
Erin Bailey: Something that's really big for me, and I'm sure you can relate to this 'cause I know you have a daughter.00:03:49.950 --> 00:03:58.680
So I have two younger ones who go to daycare and my daughter's in elementary school and both of their, the daycare and the school are peanut free.00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:01.590
I mean, peanut allergies are prevalent everywhere.00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:09.780
So you know, when I'm looking at packages and labels, I am looking for something that's peanut free and made in a peanut free facility.00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:11.280
Can you share a little bit about.00:04:11.570 --> 00:04:13.490
What changes Stauffers made?00:04:13.490 --> 00:04:21.410
Like I mentioned earlier, the no high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors, and what kind of listening and testing went into making those kind of decisions.00:04:22.490 --> 00:04:34.750
Sabetha Wells: Okay, well, yeah, the you're, you're right about the no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial flavors or colors go into any of our stuffers, simply animal crackers or cookies.00:04:35.090 --> 00:04:44.280
But as we were just discussing about food safety and the millions of little things that go into that product, it also includes our efforts in making sure that peanut.00:04:44.810 --> 00:04:49.250
And all other allergens are excluded from our products.00:04:49.250 --> 00:04:56.230
So there are certification processes that we go through, auditing processes through third party auditors.00:04:56.540 --> 00:05:09.950
We do our own self-audits to ensure that there isn't a step being skipped or a process being missed so that we are exclusively serving the products that are the ingredients that appear on those labels.00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:10.730
Yeah.00:05:11.730 --> 00:05:17.530
Erin Bailey: Are there any behind the scenes steps that a lot of families might be surprised about that you.00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:18.310
Consider.00:05:19.725 --> 00:05:26.085
Sabetha Wells: I think one of the things that is the most surprising sometimes is the size of the, the batches.00:05:26.135 --> 00:05:28.415
We're not making small batches, right?00:05:28.445 --> 00:05:40.155
These are very large scale several thousand pounds of, of dough and it's a very, interesting process with lamination that goes into the animal crackers.00:05:40.495 --> 00:05:45.625
So that it's a series of, of multiple rollers over and over again.00:05:45.935 --> 00:05:47.525
It's a very fast bake.00:05:47.895 --> 00:05:55.895
I think that's also pretty surprising sometimes to folks that it goes from dough to a delicious animal cracker in about eight minutes.00:05:56.285 --> 00:06:00.985
So yeah, it's, it's a really, so that's sometimes quite surprising.00:06:00.985 --> 00:06:07.855
And I think those are the kinds of things that kids tend to find fascinating is how large the equipment is.00:06:08.575 --> 00:06:09.115
Erin Bailey: I bet.00:06:09.575 --> 00:06:09.900
So let's.00:06:10.620 --> 00:06:19.140
Think about this idea of nurturing the body and the mind, bringing together snack time and story time as a ritual.00:06:19.190 --> 00:06:20.690
And many families do this right?00:06:20.690 --> 00:06:23.180
They have snacks and stories as a routine.00:06:23.420 --> 00:06:28.820
Why do you feel like these small rituals matter so much for children's wellbeing and learning?00:06:29.845 --> 00:06:39.825
Sabetha Wells: Well, I think that anytime that you're generating routines that are healthy and, and good for our children, you know that we are creating powerful learning opportunities.00:06:40.950 --> 00:06:54.010
And when we share things like our snacks and have the opportunity to create playful, you know, story time moments, so you may start out with this story about animals and then move on to a snack or vice versa.00:06:54.290 --> 00:07:03.200
You know, it's always a good time to reinforce various aspects of, of learning with our kids especially with the animal crackers, with those.00:07:03.225 --> 00:07:06.555
13 different simply animals shapes.00:07:06.605 --> 00:07:18.955
You know, we can practice animals by name, the, the shapes, the the sizes habitats, you know, as they get older we'll talk more about, you know, to them about the various aspects of those animals' lives.00:07:19.415 --> 00:07:20.225
And so.00:07:21.020 --> 00:07:23.240
And makes for a really nice interaction.00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:38.655
And anytime we can, we have the opportunity to make reading joyful and fun, I think really helps make it more of a a positive for kids as opposed to, you know, just another chore, another, you know, bit of work that I have to do.00:07:39.867 --> 00:07:40.137
Erin Bailey: Yeah.00:07:40.137 --> 00:07:41.667
I, I love that.00:07:41.667 --> 00:07:52.767
And as somebody who believes in preserving creativity and imagination in childhood, that, that speaks so much to my philosophy about childhood.00:07:52.767 --> 00:07:53.817
So thank you for sharing that.00:07:53.817 --> 00:08:05.427
I'll, I'll share a story of my husband, who I think I've taught very well, but he has breakfast with my daughter at school every morning, and he always comes home and tells me about this.00:08:05.532 --> 00:08:10.032
This one child and he says, I love the way that he plays with his food.00:08:10.252 --> 00:08:17.752
Which is so funny to me because a lot of, a lot of people may tell children, don't play with your food.00:08:17.752 --> 00:08:27.322
And I mean, of course there are some parameters around this, but how, and you described this a little bit, but how are animal crackers and or animal cookies simply animals?00:08:27.652 --> 00:08:32.062
A natural way to invite imaginative play for children.00:08:32.062 --> 00:08:36.302
And how does this play then connect to storytelling and curiosity?00:08:37.572 --> 00:08:41.142
Sabetha Wells: That's I could just use my own life examples with my daughter.00:08:41.192 --> 00:08:44.522
She is a big fan of making the sound of the animal.00:08:45.137 --> 00:08:51.677
Every time before she bites the head off of that poor little animal cracker.00:08:52.017 --> 00:09:00.167
But, you know, she, she'll spend time telling me about you know, that particular cracker sometimes and or that animal if it's the giraffe.00:09:00.167 --> 00:09:07.667
She likes to, you know, mimic chewing leaves and tell me about how Hyatt it had to reach to, to get those leaves.00:09:07.667 --> 00:09:09.677
And there are lots of different ways that she.00:09:10.087 --> 00:09:11.197
Shares with me.00:09:11.197 --> 00:09:17.147
And I, I think that's the best part is seeing where her mind goes with that and how she uses it.00:09:17.527 --> 00:09:18.817
Erin Bailey: That's beautiful.00:09:18.817 --> 00:09:19.957
Perfect example.00:09:20.227 --> 00:09:24.147
What is her favorite animal in the crackers?00:09:24.847 --> 00:09:25.507
Sabetha Wells: Yeah.00:09:25.507 --> 00:09:28.207
So it's the elephant by far.00:09:28.207 --> 00:09:30.697
She loves the elephant first and foremost.00:09:30.697 --> 00:09:31.207
Yes.00:09:31.457 --> 00:09:32.027
Erin Bailey: Amazing.00:09:32.027 --> 00:09:33.977
My son loves elephants too.00:09:33.977 --> 00:09:41.217
That was one of the first animals actually, that he started mimicking the sounds and making the, you know, gesture.00:09:41.217 --> 00:09:43.737
He would put his, you know, put his hand up like.00:09:43.912 --> 00:09:44.782
Like a trunk.00:09:44.782 --> 00:09:53.872
And I think what many families don't realize is that these are very important developmental milestones when you are, you know, my son, he's two.00:09:53.872 --> 00:10:01.552
So when you're hearing environmental sounds or animal sounds and mimicking them, these are actually the building blocks for.00:10:01.642 --> 00:10:10.432
Hearing and producing sounds, which then later on gets translated into hearing sounds, connecting them with letters, and that's how we read and write.00:10:10.432 --> 00:10:14.452
So these are very great for building those foundational literacy skills.00:10:15.277 --> 00:10:16.087
Sabetha Wells: Absolutely.00:10:16.272 --> 00:10:16.562
Yeah.00:10:17.402 --> 00:10:26.512
Erin Bailey: Do you remember when you were a child inventing stories with toys or characters and you know, how does that connect with what you're doing now?00:10:27.757 --> 00:10:38.977
Sabetha Wells: as a child I lived on, I grew up on a farm and so we had many of, of the animals that we'll sometimes that you'll see on farms and many of the animal crackers, especially the cat.00:10:40.027 --> 00:10:46.087
And so I remember doing a lot of storytelling with my brothers about meow the cat.00:10:46.162 --> 00:10:48.562
Who was our cat that we had on the farm.00:10:48.562 --> 00:10:51.422
She was yeah, a, an excellent cat.00:10:51.482 --> 00:10:54.982
And also our dairy, the dairy cattle down the road.00:10:55.082 --> 00:11:01.452
You know, lots of moose and lots of animal cracker stories that we shared, that I shared with my brothers.00:11:02.577 --> 00:11:09.327
Erin Bailey: That is perfect for bringing up the book that Simply Animals is producing.00:11:09.327 --> 00:11:12.812
So as part of this partnership between Simply Animals and.00:11:13.407 --> 00:11:14.757
Reading is fundamental.00:11:14.907 --> 00:11:22.227
Simply Animals has created a book called Bryson's Rocket Riddles, which features Bryson the Bear one of the key characters.00:11:22.647 --> 00:11:31.587
And the book actually starts out on a farm or close to a farm where Bryson lives and goes on this journey.00:11:31.902 --> 00:11:41.302
Of all the different animals that are featured in the Stauffers, simply animals crackers and learns about their habitats and what they need to live in those habitats.00:11:41.302 --> 00:11:48.682
So it's, it's an, it's a fictional story, but with a lot of great information and bringing to life the, the characters00:11:49.802 --> 00:11:50.877
Sabetha Wells: Yeah, absolutely.00:11:50.877 --> 00:11:51.297
Yeah.00:11:51.347 --> 00:11:52.667
Bryson's Rocket riddles.00:11:52.667 --> 00:11:54.587
Do you wanna see the image of the.00:11:54.917 --> 00:11:54.977
The00:11:55.017 --> 00:11:56.532
Erin Bailey: love to Yes.00:11:56.927 --> 00:11:57.737
Sabetha Wells: Yeah.00:11:57.737 --> 00:12:07.057
It's really exciting as Bryson is meeting in Stockville with his friends, Harper, the Hippo, and Taylor the tiger.00:12:07.057 --> 00:12:14.397
And they are going, they go over to Stockville farm to, to see how animals are living there on Stockville farm.00:12:14.757 --> 00:12:23.662
And and then Bryson yeah, uses this rocket to take off and, and evaluate, or, or visit some other habitats throughout the world.00:12:23.662 --> 00:12:25.572
It's a, it's a really fun story.00:12:25.572 --> 00:12:32.172
I, my daughter loved it, so I hope that your, your family finds it as, as fun as we did.00:12:32.442 --> 00:12:40.342
Erin Bailey: Yes, and I had the opportunity to review it as it was being written and illustrated, and that was really fun to participate in.00:12:40.552 --> 00:12:46.727
And so with this partnership between staffers, simply Animals and Reading is fundamental when you purchase the book.00:12:47.212 --> 00:12:54.122
Pro 20% of the proceeds will go directly to reading as fundamentals to support our programs, which we're very grateful for.00:12:54.272 --> 00:12:56.102
And I'll link the book below.00:12:56.102 --> 00:13:00.612
It's at simply animals.com so that our listeners can go check it out themselves.00:13:00.612 --> 00:13:10.522
But in creating this, working with, you know, your team to create this book and bring this story to life what were your hopes for kids and what they would do after they read it?00:13:11.867 --> 00:13:38.237
Sabetha Wells: Well, the exciting, I think it was exciting that it was, it was national reading month and the reading is fundamental is celebrating their 60th year, which I thought was,
pretty fantastic with staffers celebrating 155 years and bringing this tradition of animal crackers into a book that introduces the life of the animals in a different way for kids to explore.00:13:38.237 --> 00:13:40.817
And you can have snack time at the same time.00:13:40.817 --> 00:13:44.117
It's, it's actually a really fun we practice or practice.00:13:44.117 --> 00:13:50.327
We, my daughter and I, we actually went through the book with the animal crackers and it, and we read it.00:13:51.497 --> 00:13:56.707
First we read it just the book, and then we did it with the animal crackers and we could not stop laughing.00:13:56.757 --> 00:14:02.617
Doing it with the animal crackers made it that much more fun as opposed to just noting away.00:14:02.897 --> 00:14:05.987
We know where she incorporated the animals into the story.00:14:05.987 --> 00:14:13.117
So I think it's a great way to, bring literature or, and, and reading to children in, in a fun way.00:14:13.117 --> 00:14:19.147
Because anytime we can create joy from reading, I think it's, it's a positive for everyone.00:14:19.887 --> 00:14:24.457
Erin Bailey: I'm definitely going to copy you and also read the books with the animal crackers.00:14:24.457 --> 00:14:25.267
I mean, how could you.00:14:25.627 --> 00:14:26.887
How could you not do that?00:14:26.887 --> 00:14:35.047
But I think the wonderful thing is we talk a lot in the literacy space about how books are able to, well, two things.00:14:35.227 --> 00:14:41.797
One, how you, you bring your own background knowledge to reading when you, when you meet a book and the other ways how books can help.00:14:42.172 --> 00:14:43.642
Build background knowledge.00:14:43.642 --> 00:14:54.562
And so with these animals, the way you're describing before, you can use this book to build a little background knowledge about the animals and where they live, their habitats, what they need for survival.00:14:54.832 --> 00:15:01.502
And then let's say you don't have the book because you're at the playground or the park munching on your animal crackers.00:15:01.712 --> 00:15:04.877
You can still think about, oh, remember when we read.00:15:05.397 --> 00:15:06.507
This and that book.00:15:06.507 --> 00:15:09.717
And tell me a little bit about what you learned about these animals.00:15:09.867 --> 00:15:11.037
What sounds do they make?00:15:11.037 --> 00:15:11.967
Where do they live?00:15:11.967 --> 00:15:13.557
What do they need to survive?00:15:13.887 --> 00:15:22.137
You know, it's, it's a great way to bring that snack time and that storytelling and creativity and building background knowledge all together.00:15:23.577 --> 00:15:24.237
Sabetha Wells: Absolutely.00:15:24.237 --> 00:15:25.192
I, I think that's one of the.00:15:25.452 --> 00:15:32.482
Funnest parts about being a mom is having those moments where you see your child in a completely different setting.00:15:32.482 --> 00:15:45.052
You're not reading together, but you are seeing those concepts gel in her mind and she is taking that forward, what she learned and read into a completely different situation.00:15:45.052 --> 00:15:45.352
Yeah.00:15:46.157 --> 00:15:46.817
Erin Bailey: Absolutely.00:15:47.177 --> 00:16:01.027
So if an educator or library wanted to connect food choices, play and reading, what's a simple, inclusive way to do that without making it seem like being a perfect parent or being a perfect educator?00:16:02.219 --> 00:16:02.849
Sabetha Wells: Oh gosh.00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:03.389
Well00:16:03.439 --> 00:16:03.559
Erin Bailey: I.00:16:03.674 --> 00:16:12.854
Sabetha Wells: think that anytime we can make it fun that's been you know a big part of, my, the reading with my child is trying to make it fun.00:16:12.894 --> 00:16:35.494
Asking a lot of questions about what was your favorite part and what did you think that the character, what did you think Bryson was going to do in the rocket when he first got in and,
and asking questions about the, the characters or, or what they're learning and what their takeaways are, kind of not only reinforces it, but also can bring about another level of fun.00:16:36.727 --> 00:16:37.687
Erin Bailey: Yes, absolutely.00:16:37.687 --> 00:16:43.237
And what message would you hope that families hear when they see this legacy brand?00:16:43.237 --> 00:16:50.567
And I do mean Legacy 155 year old brand, evolve and respond to really what families need today.00:16:51.777 --> 00:17:00.377
Sabetha Wells: I would say that it's, this business created in 1871 was created by a family of Stauffers.00:17:00.707 --> 00:17:07.467
And from that over the years they have continued to hire and be very family focused.00:17:07.497 --> 00:17:09.592
And so we've got a lot of team members.00:17:10.032 --> 00:17:38.332
That helped in the development of this product as well as in the execution of the brand's development and making the animal crackers that have really given of themselves to see that
each and every animal cracker that is coming out from Stauffers is safe and wholesome and is, is going to bring or going to take, crackers into the future with those growing families.00:17:38.632 --> 00:17:51.492
So it's a wonderful evolution demonstrating the leadership of the organization that we are listening to, the voice of the customer and bringing in reducing a high fructose corn syrup or.00:17:51.947 --> 00:17:52.367
Excuse me.00:17:52.847 --> 00:18:05.627
Eliminating high fructose corn syrup and as well as artificial colorants and flavors and taking the brand into the, the future for hopefully another 155 years.00:18:06.347 --> 00:18:14.147
Erin Bailey: Absolutely, and I've enjoyed this partnership that Reading is Fundamental has had with Stauffers Simply Animals.00:18:14.147 --> 00:18:16.442
When you all came to us and asked.00:18:16.787 --> 00:18:19.577
Me to review the book every step of the way.00:18:19.577 --> 00:18:22.967
I mean, that's a different level of quality, insur assurance.00:18:22.967 --> 00:18:28.287
But what I saw from that was that you really did care about input.00:18:28.317 --> 00:18:33.297
I mean asking me as a literacy expert along the way, what do you think about this book?00:18:33.297 --> 00:18:34.887
What recommendations do you have?00:18:34.887 --> 00:18:37.167
It's, it's very easy, I feel like for.00:18:37.422 --> 00:18:55.242
A company to say we're gonna write a children's book, but it takes it to another level of care and quality to look for an organization whose mission and values aligns and look for an expert in the field to give feedback along the way.00:18:55.242 --> 00:19:00.312
And these are seem to me, very simple things, but have a deep and meaningful impact.00:19:01.397 --> 00:19:03.227
Sabetha Wells: Yeah, I couldn't agree more.00:19:03.227 --> 00:19:19.377
It's it was what brought me to say yes to this as a novice and obviously not a professional podcast interviewee I this, reading is fundamental, has been a big part of my life since I was small as have staffers products.00:19:19.407 --> 00:19:28.337
And so it's, it's a great marriage, especially the 20% of the profits going to help the literacy programs for children nationwide.00:19:29.397 --> 00:19:37.767
And then we'll have our staffers, simply animal crackers, available nationwide by the end of April, just in time for national Animal Cracker Day.00:19:38.377 --> 00:19:39.367
Erin Bailey: Amazing.00:19:39.467 --> 00:19:46.637
So thinking holistically, what's one quality check that families can do at home with their routines?00:19:46.637 --> 00:19:50.627
Not just looking at food labels, but just to make sure they're spending time together.00:19:51.840 --> 00:20:02.318
Sabetha Wells: Oh yeah, the, oh, that's another one you caught me on because I find myself, when you, I hear questions like that, my ins my immediately feel emotional.00:20:02.668 --> 00:20:03.568
Erin Bailey: Of course.00:20:06.208 --> 00:20:07.178
Sabetha Wells: So sorry.00:20:07.208 --> 00:20:08.828
So that just immediately takes me.00:20:08.928 --> 00:20:18.678
But I would say that the best way that we can, honor quality quality time with each other is, is literally being there, being fully present.00:20:18.958 --> 00:20:29.268
We have a lot of, of screens and other options before us when we're together as a family and making sure that we take that time, even if it's as.00:20:29.338 --> 00:20:37.863
Small amount of time as, as a routine throughout the day to to read a book together, to have a snack together.00:20:38.263 --> 00:20:39.523
To talk to each other.00:20:39.703 --> 00:20:40.093
Yeah.00:20:41.043 --> 00:20:42.253
Erin Bailey: I appreciate that so much.00:20:42.628 --> 00:21:00.928
As, as somebody who advocates for less screen time and less competing priorities when you are around your children and acknowledging that it is
very difficult, you know, snack time can easily turn into, let me give my child a snack and step into the other room to check my work emails.00:21:01.088 --> 00:21:02.793
Let me put my child in front of a tv.00:21:03.443 --> 00:21:05.273
While they're eating a, a snack.00:21:05.273 --> 00:21:07.523
And I'm not saying to never do those things.00:21:07.523 --> 00:21:08.903
I live in the real world too.00:21:08.903 --> 00:21:21.113
But I think what we've discussed here today is really the intention that you can bring to snack time, having fun with it, setting aside that routine as something special.00:21:21.383 --> 00:21:32.723
And these little adorable animal crackers are perfect for it because you can naturally engage in conversation and play and let your imagination take you somewhere else.00:21:33.508 --> 00:21:34.858
Sabetha Wells: Absolutely it is.00:21:34.958 --> 00:21:42.158
One of the, you know, one, there are so many wonderful parts of parenting and then there are lots and lots of challenges.00:21:42.558 --> 00:21:48.918
But having those moments, just those moments of, of complete, intunement with each other.00:21:48.948 --> 00:21:54.668
Even if they're brief and they're few and far between, the fact that we have them, it makes a lot of things worth it.00:21:55.473 --> 00:21:56.223
Erin Bailey: Absolutely.00:21:56.523 --> 00:22:00.598
So I am going to have you finish this sentence as we close out.00:22:00.688 --> 00:22:02.768
Reading inspires in families.00:22:03.588 --> 00:22:05.538
Sabetha Wells: Creating joyful life moments.00:22:06.588 --> 00:22:14.048
I, I have to say it that way because that's not only kind of the motto for my family, our, our family motto is, let's have fun.00:22:14.478 --> 00:22:26.308
But staffers, biscuit, company's actual vision for our organization is to create joyful life moments within our organization, but also with the families that we serve.00:22:26.308 --> 00:22:29.268
And so it's kind of have to say it that way, but.00:22:29.513 --> 00:22:41.153
It's a beautiful sentiment and it's really what we try to practice and why we, it matters so much to us that we have we're bringing staffers, simply animal crackers to households nationwide.00:22:41.858 --> 00:22:42.818
Erin Bailey: Absolutely.00:22:42.818 --> 00:22:44.148
I'm, I couldn't agree more.00:22:44.918 --> 00:22:45.968
Reading is fundamental.00:22:45.968 --> 00:22:53.088
We are all about promoting the joy of reading, particularly in today's climate around literacy.00:22:53.088 --> 00:22:57.498
So I. That reading inspires joyful moments in families.00:22:57.498 --> 00:22:58.883
Thank you so much, sbe.00:23:00.178 --> 00:23:01.498
Sabetha Wells: Thank you so much, Erin.00:23:01.498 --> 00:23:04.778
It was, it was great to talk to you today and I love to talk.00:23:04.778 --> 00:23:09.908
Of course, this is one of my favorite subjects, so reading and and eating snacks.00:23:09.908 --> 00:23:10.478
I love it.00:23:10.928 --> 00:23:12.518
Erin Bailey: I love reading and eating snacks too.00:23:12.968 --> 00:23:13.988
Thank you so much.00:23:14.238 --> 00:23:18.738
And thank you all for listening to Reading Inspires by Reading is Fundamental.00:23:18.918 --> 00:23:24.108
I hope today's conversation sparked new ideas, meaningful connections, and a renewed love of reading.00:23:24.288 --> 00:23:33.408
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, share with a fellow literacy champion, and join us next time as we continue to explore what reading inspires.
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