1,000 book before Kindergarten

The Osceola Public Library is excited to offer a new program for our community. Through a generous grant from Early Childhood Iowa Kids First Communities organization, we have established the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. This free program is in response to a nationwide challenge that encourages parents and caregivers to regularly read aloud to their children, beginning at birth.

We once thought a child’s education started in kindergarten. But research indicates it begins much earlier. Early literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they actually learn to read and write. It is not teaching how to read, drilling or using flashcards. Instead, it is laying the foundation, so that every child has the necessary skills when they are developmentally ready to read.

Reading to children from an early age can help close the vocabulary gap and prepare children to enter kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed. Most importantly, sharing books with children promotes a lifelong love of books and reading.

The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is available to all families with children between the ages of birth and five years. All you need to do is come to the Osceola Public Library to register your child(ren) for the program. You will receive a bag with the program name on it, a folder with early literacy information, and a log to keep track of books you read to them. They will be given a leaf with their name on it that they can put on our reading tree. As they continue completing logs of 100 books each, they will move their leaf up the tree. At the completion of the program, they will be given a Completion Certificate and a free book of their choice to keep.

Registration is open. For more information, call the library at 641-342-2237, or come in and talk with a librarian in the Children’s area