The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Studying, learning could be fun for all
Local company shipping out thousands of learn-at-home books during virus crisis
A Lorain-based company will help students stay sharp in reading, writing and ‘rithmetic while schools are closed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
ThinkStretch already has printed off thousands of workbooks for grade school students and expects to ship more across the country in the coming days due to shutdowns for COVID-19.
“It’s a terrible thing that’s going on right now, but we were well prepared for this,” said Bruce Henson, company president and chief executive officer.
Henson previously focused on academic turnaround plans for low-performing schools, and Erik Thorson, chief academic officer and chief operating officer, has worked as a teacher, principal and school superintendent.
They have about 10 employees, with field representatives in Ohio, Maryland and Georgia.
Headquarters is inside the City Center, 300 Broadway, where a printing press and staff assemble learning kits for elementary students.
"It’s a terrible thing that’s going on right now, but we were well prepared for this. — Bruce Henson, ThinkStretch president, chief executive officer
ThinkStretch focuses on aids for parents and caregivers to help their students learn during summer breaks.
The company works with the Kaplan Early Learning Co. and sends customizable, prepackaged books and kits to 325 school districts across Ohio and around the country.
That process is accelerating now as states shut down schools for weeks — or for the rest of the year, which already is the case in Virginia, said Jordyn Veard, director of operations for ThinkStretch.
On March 26, the printing press was cranking out 600 books an hour.
The staff had stacks of dozens of boxes filled with books and kits to send to schools in Michigan, Illinois and Florida.
“We just served about 12,000 kids in the last week, getting these books in their hands, from preK to eighth-grade,” Henson said.
Henson acknowledged students will use a number of online learning tools in coming weeks.
Think Stretch supplements booklets with online instruction as well, but children also need the physical worksheets.
“A kid still needs to pick up and read a book,” Henson said.
Parents can order appropriate kits online.
The regular price of $19.95 has been reduced to $11 due to increased demand during the pandemic.
The company is based in Lorain, but due to social distancing, it is encouraging online sales and mailed shipments.
More information is at thinkstretch.com.
The company remained open as an essential business function because it also operates childcare facilities approved during the pandemic.
ThinkStretch leaders agreed summer break is a needed vacation away from the classroom.
But studies show students start to slip in the learning they gained in schools in the previous academic year, Thorson said.
“The summer reading slide is real,” he said.
Thorson compared the mental challenges to physical exercise.
“If you miss two months at the gym, you’re going to get atrophy,” he said. “You
“If you miss two months at the gym, you’re going to get atrophy. You need those two months reading as well.” — Bruce Henson, president and CEO of ThinkStretch
need those two months reading as well.”
Students can retain their skills starting with as little as 20 minutes of reading a day, they said.