Studies have shown that the more children ages 0-5 hear books read to them at home, the more prepared they will be to learn to read upon reaching kindergarten.
1000 Books Before Kindergarten (1000B4K) is a self-guided, read-at-home program for all children, from birth up until the time they start school. The goal? For every child to be exposed to at least 1000 books before kindergarten.
Bay County Library System runs 1000B4K on a continuous basis; the only deadline is your child's kindergarten year!
Reading 1000 Books may seem like a difficult task, but it is easy to accomplish at any age. Any book your child hears counts toward their program goal, including storytimes at the library and books you have read before.
FOR EXAMPLE: To read 1000 books in JUST ONE YEAR, you would have to read about three books per day. If you started on January 1, you would reach your goal by November 30! If your child is more than a year away from starting kindergarten, this goal is even easier to attain. If you read your child just one book each day from the day they were born, you would reach your goal before their third birthday.
How it Works Register Online Here – Parents, you can create an account first to easily monitor your children's activity. (Please note: your child will need a separate account than your account used for the Summer or Winter Reading Programs.) Track Your Reading – Log in here and track your reading to earn points. Then... Keep Reading! What books count toward your child's 1000 book goal? ANY BOOK YOUR CHILD HEARS! This includes... - books that you hear at storytime
- books that you read at bedtime
- books that you read over and over and over again... count them each and every time!
- books that are read at Grandma's house, with a babysitter, at daycare, e-books, audiobooks, chapters of a longer story... EVERY BOOK COUNTS.
| Prizes For every 100 books your child hears, they will receive a sticker in their paper log. After 500 books they will receive a free book to keep! After 1000 books, your child will receive a special 1000 Books Before Kindergarten @ BCLS backpack containing school supplies commonly needed for kindergarten: - a pencil pouch and BCLS pencil
- a pair of scissors
- a gluestick
- a folder
- a clear ruler
- a 10 pack of Crayola markers
- a 24 pack of Crayola crayons
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GET THE READsquared APP Easily log your activity using the READsquared app. The app is free for both Android and iOS mobile devices.
| We are excited to announce that as of March 1, 2024, we have updated this program with new logs, incentives, and early literacy activities! I was participating in the old 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program; what do I need to do now? - Stop into any branch to pick up a new tracking log and we'll get you switched over! If you'd prefer to track here in ReadSquared, you'll need to join the new program. Click here for more information!
- You can choose to start the program over at 0, or continue your progress in this program. If you had books that you had previously tracked and would like to carry them over to the new program, you can log them yourself (for example, if you have logged 250 books with your child, you can log 250 picture books all at once). If you need help with this step, you can call or visit your branch and we can do it for you.
- We will be discontinuing prizes from the previous program, but rest assured: new incentives will be awarded to you when you log your books! We're very excited about the new prize options -- including a chance to take home a free book at 500 books instead of at the end of the program!
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our Children's Coordinator, Dena Moscheck at (989) 893-9566 x2130 or email dmoscheck@baycountylibrary.org. |