1000 Books Before Kindergarten

This early childhood literacy program encourages you to read 1000 books with your child by the time they start kindergarten. Numerous studies estimate that as many as one in five children have difficulties learning to read. Until public formal education begins around ages 5-6, parents and caregivers are the first education providers during the critical early years.

Importance of the Program

a fileResearch shows that reading books aloud to your children provides valuable early literacy skills that lead to greater success in school. Before children learn to read, they need five early literacy skills. Join us at weekly story times to hear more literacy tips related to these five literacy skills:

  • Background knowledge or the prior knowledge a child has learned
  • Letter knowledge or knowing letters are different from each other, knowing their names and sounds, and recognizing letters everywhere
  • Phonological awareness or the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds of words
  • Print convention or noticing print, knowing how to handle a book, and knowing how to follow the words on a page
  • Vocabulary or knowing the meaning of words, concepts, and ideas

Fill out a registration card at the Library and starting logging your progress with the free 1000 Books Before Kindergarten app, available from Apple or Google Play, or use our printable reading log!