Join now! If you read just one book a night starting before your child is 2, you will have read over 1,000 books by the time your child starts kindergarten! Our program makes it fun, with incentives for every milestone you reach – 1 book, 25 books, 100 books, 250 books, 500 books, 750 books and 1,000 Books. The program is intended for children under the age of 5 years.
The One Thousand Books Before Kindergarten initiative is designed to:
- Promote reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers.
- Encourage parent and child bonding through reading.
- Help young children gain the confidence necessary to become strong readers.
Studies show that children who are read to from birth have an easier time learning to read.
You can sign up and log your progress here: https://mcnpl.beanstack.org/
You can also track your progress with the Beanstack Tracker mobile app which is available for both iOS and Android. The mobile app includes the ability to scan the barcode from the back of the book for easy logging.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can you really expect to read 1000 books to your child before kindergarten?
If you read only one bedtime story every night for three years you will have read 1095! If you read 10 books each week for two years, you will have read 1040. Double that rate to do 1000 books in one year.
Do we have to read books from the Perkiomen Valley Library?
No, you can read books from anywhere – your home, the doctor’s office, preschool, Grandma’s house, other libraries.
I read the same story every night to my child. Can I count that book more than once?
Yes, write down the title (or an abbreviation of it) each and every time you read the book.
I have more than one child I read to. Can I count the same title for each child?
Of course you can! And if one of your older children reads to his or her sibling, you can count that also.
Can I count books that are read at Story Time?
Yes, just ask for the titles.
What about the books that my preschooler hears at school from the preschool teachers?
Yes, you can count those.
My child has an electronic game (or a computer game) that reads the story to him if he chooses. Can I count that? As long as your child listens to the entire story, you can count it. Please don’t count it if he just plays the games.
When I don’t have time to read to my child, I sometimes let her listen to a book on CD. Can I add that to her list?Sure, as long as she has listened to the entire story.
My child “reads” books to himself. Should I count those?
While it’s a great start to reading, if your child is only pretending to read, you shouldn’t count it. If your child has memorized a book you read together frequently and can read it to himself or herself, then go ahead and count it.
My older children like to read to their younger siblings. Can I count those books?
Count any books that are read to your child, no matter who reads the books. It can be a brother, sister, grandparent, babysitter, teacher, etc. As long as you child hears the entire story, you can count it