Early Literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write. Started in 2013 by the Lititz Public Library, the program became countywide in 2015 with all 17 public libraries in Lancaster County, the Bookmobile, and the BeREADy Rover offering the early literacy program called, “1000 Books Before Kindergarten.”
This free program encourages you to read 1000 books with your child before he or she starts school. One of the best ways to encourage learning is to spend time sharing books every day. Reading together helps develop important pre-reading skills that provide a solid foundation, a key to school and learning success. Plus, sharing stories together is fun!
You can sign up your child for the program at your local library or register online using Beanstack. If completing the program on paper, you will track the books you and your child read together using the book tracking sheets below. If completing the program on Beanstack, you can conveniently log each book by title or by scanning the ISBN on the back of the book.
1000 books may seem like a lot, but you can complete the program:
- At your own pace! The program ends when your child enters Kindergarten.
- By reading 3 books to your child every day for a year – then you will have read 1,095 books!
- By reading 10 books every week for two years, which is less than 2 books a day – then you will have read 1,040 books!
- By reading 1 book every other day – you’ll reach the 1000 book goal in less than 5 years.