How Yoto is helping support our boarding families

Boarding enables children to gain independence, confidence and provide a lifetime of fun and memories. However, the reality also is, that if boarding from a young age, children will on occasion miss their families and home rituals. The number one being missing a bedtime story.

Children are often read to before bed by a member of the boarding staff, which is a welcome comfort to them but at Hatherop we wanted to take this one step further. We decided to invest in a Yoto Player which would enable parents to record a bedtime story on a blank disc and then send it to the boarding team, thus allowing children to listen to their own parents reading them a story before they drift off to sleep. This has been a huge comfort, not only to the children who are listening to their parents read them a chapter each night but also for the parents themselves.

“It is so comforting to know that G and her friends are listening to me as they drift off to sleep at Hatherop. I am currently recording chapters of Harry Potter for them all to enjoy”.

The Yoto Player also has a white noise setting which some of the younger children find particularly useful if they stir in the night and are struggling to get back to sleep. They have proven to be such a hit in the boarding house that we have now ordered 5 more so that more children can enjoy a story from their parents before bed.

“We have really seen a huge difference in how well the children are settling at night time since introducing the Yoto to Hatherop, it certainly is a great addition to the boarding house”.