Kutztown Community Library recently launched their 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative for families with children ages 0-5.
The program is designed to help parents prepare their children for one of life’s big milestones: starting kindergarten. Research has shown that children get ready to read years before they begin their formal education, and an excellent way to get children ready to learn is to read to them. To that end, the Kutztown Community Library hopes the program will encourage families to read at least 1000 books to their children before they enter school.
While this may sound like a lofty goal, it can be achieved. If a child is two years old when he starts the program, the family must read just one book per day in order to complete 1,000 books by kindergarten. If a child is four years old when she starts, simply reading three books per day would allow her to complete the program within one year.
When parents read with their children and make it a special time together, it shows them that reading is valuable and enjoyable and creates a love of reading at a very young age. It also helps children develop background knowledge, build vocabulary, and become familiar with the reading process. By coming to the library together, parents can teach their children how the library works and an appreciation for the wide range of materials that can be found there.
Every child that registers for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten receives a book log folder for recording the books that are read. Any book counts, and if the same book is read multiple times it can be recorded each time. After the first 100 books have been read, children can bring their log back to the library to get it stamped and receive a sticker, activity page, and new log page. At the half way point they will receive a new book, and when they have completed 1000 books, they will receive a t-shirt.
In addition to Kutztown Community Library, support for this program has come from Sovereign Bank Foundation, who provided a generous grant for start up costs, and Kutztown University students who designed all of the artwork and logos as part of the 2013 Designathon.
Located at 70 Bieber Alley in Kutztown, the Kutztown Community Library endeavors to inform, enrich, and empower our community by providing access to information, ideas, technology, services, forums, entertainment and knowledgeable people.
