Reading aloud to babies, toddlers, and preschoolers helps them develop important early literacy skills. RCPL is committed to supporting every child on their journey to reading.
We’ve joined with 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, an organization serving the United States and Canada, to encourage families and caregivers to read 1,000 books with their children before they enter kindergarten. Research shows reading to children before their formal education begins is the most effective way to prepare children to read independently. The program is self-paced and lets you decide how often and how long you read, and your children will earn prizes along the way.
While reading 1,000 books may seem like quite a lot, reaching this goal is easier than you think. Read three books a day for one year and you’ll reach your goal. Read one book a day for three years and you’ll be over 1,000 books.
Every Book Counts: Even if your child wants to hear the same book again and again, you can count it each time. You can also count the books your child hears in storytime, in daycare or preschool, or with a friend or family member, as long as your child listens to the entire book.
Curious how to log your reading? We have an app for that! Beanstack, a website we are using to facilitate our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, is where you will log your reading and earn badges. You’ll earn prizes, too, and can pick them up when you visit the library. Beanstack makes it easy to sign up multiple children in the same household. Daycares/Groups can sign up as teams to simplify logging.
Click here to sign up for the Beanstack.
Download the Beanstack App: Apple App Store Google Play Store
The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is available to all families with children between the ages of birth and five years. Registration is open. For more information, call the library at 540-772-7507, or visit our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten page.
Keep on Reading: Don’t stop at 1,000! Keep on reading together; there’s more learning ahead!