Get ready for the new and improved 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program, coming January 2025! Here's what to look forward to:
If you're already working your way toward 1000 books, don't worry - you won't lose your progress. Just visit this page to enroll in January and we'll take care of the rest! Until then...
Sign up early for the new 1000 Books Before Kindergarten! (Tracking will not begin until January 1.)
Already have a ReadSquared account from Summer Reading? Log in and click Enroll near your child's name to sign up for the new program.
Ready for a fresh log sheet for the old 1000 Books? Print it!
1000 Books Before Kindergarten is a nation-wide challenge that encourages parents and caregivers to regularly read aloud to kids. If you read just one book a day with your child, you'll reach the 1000 book goal in less than three years - but we know you'll read more than that!
LCPL's 1000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative is sponsored by the Friends of LCPL.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, over 1 in 3 American kids start Kindergarten without the language skills they need to learn to read. In fact, the number of words a child knows going into Kindergarten is a predictor of their academic success. Reading out loud to your kids is an easy, fun way to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed in school.
NOTE: Beginning in January 2025 you will be able to join and track your progress online! You can sign up early right now and start tracking January 1.
You don't have to wait until January 1 to start tracking. Just print a log sheet and mark off a circle for every book you read with your child. You can color the circles in, put an X through them, use stickers... whatever you like!
When you get to the end of the row, you've read ten books. When you get to the end of the sheet you've read 100 books and it's time to start the next sheet!
No printer? Can't get to the library? We accept home-made log sheets as well as "official" logs for both new and continuing 1000 books readers.
You can keep a tally on a piece of scrap paper, put marbles in a jar, keep a count in a spreadsheet - whatever works for you.
When you can make it in to an LCPL location, just bring in your log sheets (or whatever you used to keep count) and we'll add them to your child's total. If you're new to the program we'll have you fill out a quick form to sign your child up and track their future progress, as well.
Everything! Library books, your own books, ebooks, print books - it all counts! Whatever you read together, it helps your child build pre-literacy skills.
There's also no limit on the number of times you can read and count a single book. Many kids enjoy repetition, and if they ask for the same book ten times in a row it counts each time you read it.
Education is, of course, its own reward but we have a few incentives for our young readers, too.
Each completed log sheet is worth a prize. You can save up all your log sheets and hand them in at once to get a bunch of prizes, or you can bring them in one at a time.
Any questions? Feel free to ask a librarian!
