1000 Books Before Kindergarten

1000 Books Before Kindergarten encourages families and caregivers to read 1000 books with their young children before they enter kindergarten.

Studies have shown that families who start reading aloud to their children at birth help strengthen language skills and build vocabulary–two important tools when children begin learning to read in kindergarten.

How does it work?

1. Register at the Library and receive a startup kit that includes a reusable book bag, reading log and board book.
2. Track your reading by recording each book title in the reading log.
3. Visit the Library each time you read 100 books and receive a sticker. For every 200 books read, your child will receive a small prize.  When you complete 1000 books, your child will receive a free hardback book for their home library.

FAQs

Can we really read that many books before kindergarten? Yes! If you read one book a day you can complete the program within three years.

Can other people read to my child besides me? Stories read by parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. all count. You can also count books read at story times.

But my child wants to read the same book over and over! The good news is that repetition is important to learning and you can count that book multiple times.