This time of year is one of the most stressful times of the year, and also literally the darkest and coldest. Many people struggle for various reasons. Isn’t it about time that our kindergartners let us know that they are doing their best?
This week, journalist Josh White said he discovered a hotline for elementary school students and when he tried the service on camera, he couldn’t stop crying as children told him they were loved and were doing a great job.
The video quickly went viral as kids told him, “You can do it!” and “Don’t give up and do your best!” and “Be grateful to yourself.”
Hotline is a public art project created by West Side Elementary School, a kindergarten through 6th grade public school located in rural Healdsburg, California. It’s called PEPTOC and you can call it toll-free by dialing 707-8PEPTOK (707-873-7862).
The program was launched in 2022 by two of the school’s teaching artists, Jessica Martin and Ashera Weiss. According to their website, they have received more than 25 million calls since their inception, which is more than 911 calls to Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami combined.
When you make a call, you have a variety of options, including:
- Press when you’re frustrated, angry, or sad.
- Press for life advice.
- Please press the pep talk given by kindergarteners.
- Push the children laughing with joy.
- Press for encouragement in Spanish.
- Push your awesomeness.
- Click for bonus advice
Thousands of people have responded to the beauty of the children’s messages in White’s video.
“Mr. Rogers would have loved this,” one person wrote.
“We cannot fail these babies. We must demand better,” said another.
White called out to the children on the other end of the phone to explain why she was so moved.
“I am a journalist and conflict reporter,” he wrote. “This year I spent in the Middle East, where ‘survival’ is a daily task. I sat with refugees who didn’t know where their next meal would come from. I also met little girls who had lost limbs and were learning how to run again… This year, more than any other, I have lived between the devastating and the beautiful. There was something about hearing the voices of children (especially their laughter) that opened something inside me in the best way.”
PEPTOK is a free service funded by donations from public schools. Due to high call volume, the service has a $4,000 monthly hotline fee. You can donate to the project here.
