If you have children to take care of while you need to work from home amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, this may be helpful to you.
Following the impact caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, businesses in the United States of America have taken a toll, all for the intention of curbing the spread of this coronavirus. According to Business Insider, many companies have requested their employees to work from home, and children are also staying at home due to school closures.
While many may think this is a great opportunity for parents to spend time with their children, the people who have to attend to their jobs while keeping their children entertained feel that it was rather burdensome. To help whoever in need, Amazon-owned Audible announced that they are allowing children and family to stream stories for free.
Audible decided to carry out the program for as long as the schools are closed. On its website, it was stated that children everywhere will have the privilege to stream a large collection of stories. The stories that were made free were available in six languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Italian.
“For as long as schools are closed, we’re open. Starting today, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.”
There are six categories of stories to cater to different stages and needs, namely “Littlest Listeners”, “Elementary”, “Tween”, “Teen”, “Literary Classics” and “Folk & Fairy Tales for All”.
“As the world grapples with new challenges, Audible’s younger listeners in particular have an immediate need,” said Audible CEO, Bob Carrigan. Mr Carrigan told Business Insider that Audible managed to help keep its customers’ families relaxed and entertained during this difficult time.
The usual monthly subscription fees range from US$14.95 to US$22.95 for access to more than 525,000 titles in the Audible library. The CEO understands that it is indeed an inconvenient time to make people sign up and subscribe to audiobooks, therefore, hundreds of titles are now free to allow children to continue learning during school closures.
“That’s why we launched Audible Stories, so anyone, anywhere can stream hundreds of our titles for kids and families, no strings attached. Our intent is that Stories will offer parents, educators, and caregivers a screen-free experience to look forward to each day, while keeping young minds engaged,” explained Mr Carrigan.
To make this particular program even more accessible, Audible has eliminated all log-in or sign-up requirements. Customers only had to select an audiobook and click “Start Listening” without the need to provide email, password and any credit card information. All the available titles can be accessed on desktops, laptops, phones or tablets.