Four bright-eyed toddlers sat quietly perched on their child-sized carpet mats Tuesday at the Cape Care Family Childcare center. Rainbows cast from a globe-shaped prism danced on the wall opposite them.

Volunteer Ginny Kuitez pulled from her pack a 1984 Little Golden Book called “The Gull that lost the Sea.” Kuitez is a participant in the Born to Read program, which matches retired citizens older than 55 with local daycares in Cumberland County and across the state.

“The Gull that lost the Sea” happened to be the favorite book of 3-year-old Emma Wellins. “Ooh, I was thinking you were gonna bring that book,” exclaimed Wellins.

“It’s a special thing,” said Kuitez, who joined the program four years ago. “Those are my weekly grandchildren.”

Kuitez’s own grandchildren are spread across the country: in Phoenix, Chicago, Denver, and Richmond. Though she travels regularly to see her four sons and seven grandchildren, her kid quota isn’t filled from those visits alone.

“She doesn’t get to play grandma very much,” said Sharry Lacey, the owner of Cape Care Family Childcare center. Lacey and Kuitez share much in common, including children and grandchildren who live out of state.

The program is beneficial to seniors because they “get the feeling of being involved in life and in the community,” said Ken Murray, director of volunteer services for the Southern Maine Agency on Aging.

Kuitez views her position as an opportunity to enrich children’s lives. She carefully selects her books according to quality and always chooses books with life lessons. Stellaluna, one of Kuitez’s favorite books, tells the story of a bat confused about her identity. It’s the story of self-realization.

Kuitez shuffles the children along through her story-telling, prompting their understanding with questions about vocabulary, and opening the floor up for discussion.

“Emma do you know what advice is? Does anybody know what a mystery is? What do bats eat?” These questions engage the children as they erupt into a discussion of their favorite foods.

Kuitez doesn’t allow the valuable moral to go unheralded. Though the lesson might not be apparent to a 4-year-old, she puts it in terms they can understand, closing Stellaluna with, “that is the story of Stellaluna and how she tried to be a bird, but found she liked to be a bat.” The children seemed satisfied with that.

The Born to Read program was established in 1999 and is a partnership between the Maine Humanities Council, the Southern Maine Agency on Aging, Child Care Connections, and CareLink.

Born to Read is one of many volunteer opportunities for senior citizens offered through the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program at the Southern Maine Agency on Aging. For more information or to get involved, call Ken Murray at 775-6503.

Cape Elizabeth resident Ginny Kuitez visits the Cape Care Family Childcare center weekly and reads to three-year-old Emma Wellins, two year-old Kyle Rand, and three other toddlers.Three year-old Maggie Cole peels a shiny scale off the felt rainbow fish Ginny Kuitez brings in to accompany a storybook. In the story of the Rainbow Fish, the fish learns that giving afraid to give up its beautiful scales, lest it no longer be happy. The Rainbow fish comes to realize that giving to others is what brings true happiness.Three-year-old Emma Wellins and two-year-old Kyle Rand return the shimmering scales to the Rainbow fish. The activity accompanied the story of the Rainbow Fish, who learned that happiness sprung from sharing with others.