A program at the North Olympic Library System’s public libraries will reward parents for reading to their small children.
The free 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is open to parents and caregivers with children up to 5 years old.
All four public libraries in the North Olympic Library System will give away a small prize for every 100 books a parent and child read. At the 500-book mark, a library tote bag is awarded. A celebratory book is given away at 1,000 books.
The program is part of a nationwide initiative to encourage parents to regularly read aloud to their children.
“Research shows that reading aloud to children from an early age can help close the vocabulary gap and prepare children to enter kindergarten with the skills they’ll need to succeed,” said Jennifer Lu’Becke, youth services specialist at the Port Angeles Library.
‘Love of books’
“Most importantly, sharing books with children promotes a lifelong love of books and reading.”
To register in the program, parents can visit the Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks or Clallam Bay public libraries anytime throughout the year and pick up a reading log to track progress.
This program is supported by the Port Angeles Friends of the Library, the Friends of Sequim Library, the Friends of the Forks Library and the Clallam Bay Friends of the Library.
For more information, send an email to Youth@nols.org, or contact the Port Angeles Library at 2210 S. Peabody St. or 360-417-8500 ext. 7705; the Sequim Library at 630 N. Sequim Ave. or 360-683-1161; the Forks Library at 171 S. Forks Ave. or 360-374-6402; or the Clallam Bay Library at 16990 state Highway 112 or 360-963-2414.
