1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a reading program for parents and caregivers to complete with their children from ages birth to 5. Reading out loud with your child helps them develop important early literacy skills—such as speaking, listening and communicating—before they start kindergarten. It’s never too early to read out loud to your child! There is no minimum age requirement for this program. The more words your child hears and the more stories they are exposed to, the better they can understand the world around them.

How to Participate

Follow the steps below to participate.

1. Choose how you want to keep track of the books you are reading with your child. 
   1. Beanstack's Interactive Online Reading Log—Register with Beanstack to track your activity online or through the app on your phone. 
   2. Complete a Paper Reading Log—Download and print the reading log (PDF) or pick up a copy at any branch.
2. Start reading books. You can find books at the library or attend our Story Times to hear books read by our librarians.
3. Collecting prizes for hitting milestones. Just bring your paper log to the library, or provide your name if you have been playing on Beanstack. For every 100 books you read, come to the library for a special sticker! When you get to 1,000 books, come to the library for a special completion prize!

Tips for Reading Out Loud with Your Children

Tips for reading out loud with your child include:

• Make reading time part of your child’s routine. Try reading a book in the morning when your child wakes up, after lunchtime, before naptime or before bedtime—see what works best for your child.
• Make reading time exciting. Read using different voices for different characters or pick books with simple songs and rhymes.
• Make reading time interesting. Let your child pick out the books they want you to read out loud to them based on their interests or pictures that they like on the cover of a book.
• Make reading time comforting. Children love hearing the same books over and over again. It’s okay to read the same book multiple times!
• Make reading time interactive. As your child gets older, ask them questions about what’s happening in the pictures on each page or what they think might happen next.

Ways to Read

View the following titles in the catalog that you can pick up curbside:

Check out an e-Book on your device using our Overdrive App or CloudLibrary App, or browse our Board Books for Babies collection.

Story Times

Register for a Story Time event at your nearest branch.

Learn More

Watch some tips from our librarians or learn about fun activities and songs for toddlers. For questions, view the FAQ or contact us.