Mesa County Libraries are launching “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten,” an ambitious effort to encourage a love of reading in young children.
Because parents are their child’s first and best teachers, “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” gives parents a framework for reading with their children. Children who read with their parents extensively in the years before kindergarten are better prepared for school and are more likely to have a solid foundation for future learning.
“1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” is a fun, self-paced, engaging way for parents to read with their young children, and it launches at all Mesa County Libraries locations the week of Oct. 12, 2015. Special story times will be held at all locations to kick off the program; times and dates can be found in the online Events Calendar.
To participate in “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten,” parents need only visit any Mesa County Libraries location to register online and pick up an attractive logbook in which they can record the titles of all 1,000 books they read with their child. Special incentives will be offered for reaching milestones along the way, and upon completion, children receive a book. There is no charge to participate.
“A baby’s brain grows to 80 percent of its adult size in the first three years, and during that time parent talk is the most crucial element for building neural connections,” said Gail Yerbic, head of Youth Services for Mesa County Libraries. “We aim to support parents to give their children the gift of words – words for thinking and understanding the world, words for expressing, words to ignite a passion to learn to read.”
“1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” is part of a national effort to promote reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers and to encourage parent and child bonding through reading.