PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Library’s 1,000 books before kindergarten program continues to engage young families in literacy, expanding the activity of reading together.
“The core of the program is just getting families to do a lot of reading with their kids,” said Emily Rucker, youth and outreach library manager. “The goal is 1,000 books before kindergarten, which sounds like a lot, but actually they add up really quickly, even if it’s the same book over and over again.”
The program, which has been in place since 2014, came into being following a national program by the same name, Rucker said.
“We recommend starting with your kiddo as soon as they’re born,” Rucker said.
The benefits of a steady diet of books include school readiness and increased social bonding, Rucker said.
“There’s all of these studies that have shown that kids who are getting those early literacy components through reading with their families, that they’re so much more ready at the start of school,” she said.
Families report that story time with their children is a favorite daily rhythm, Rucker said.
“You’ll have conversations with those same parents and they’ll go, ‘You know, it’s the best part of our day, sitting down and reading with our kiddo, at bedtime, while they’re in the bath or while they’re having dinner,’” Rucker said.
Although the program hasn’t maintained numbers on how many families have completed the challenge in the past, library staff plan to do so moving forward.
“We’ve had so many families participate,” Rucker said.
In the library, pictures of the children who have completed the program are posted on a wall. A family which completed the challenge recently visited the library and saw their child’s photo posted.
“(They were) like, ‘Oh, that was like five years ago. We’re so, so excited that the kids are still up here,’” Rucker said.
Participants don’t need to complete 1,000 separate books. They can repeat a book as many times as they like, Rucker noted.
For families in search of good books to read, Rucker maintains a list of 100 books which can be found at tinyurl.com/4s946hx4.
Another way to run the numbers up is by participating in one of the library’s three weekly children’s storytime programs.
Baby storytime is at 10:30 a.m. on Mondays in the Pink House. The event includes about 20 minutes of story time followed by about an hour of play and free time.
“We’ve got early literacy toys they can play with,” Rucker said. “That’s kind of like laying the foundation for what you’re going to do with storytimes later on. It’s also such an important (resource) for parents and caregivers who might not have another support system and they’re really looking for connection with the community.”
At 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays in the children’s room, the library hosts toddler story time for children from 18 months to 3 years old. This storytime often is well-attended, Rucker said.
“Usually we see a huge crowd,” she said. “Super active kiddos. I love doing that one. Lots of big body movements and musical instruments.”
Rucker leads the baby and toddler story times and chooses literature based both on building literacy and on favorite topics for children in her age ranges, she said.
Family storytime, or storytime connections, is held in the children’s room at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays. Library substitute Judith Bows hosts the weekly event for children 3 and older.
Children who complete the 1,000 books program will be awarded with their choice of a free book from a selection the library will hand out. Their parents will receive a print of an illustration created for the program by Port Townsend-based children’s book author and illustrator Faith Pray, who also created the program’s new logo.
“I wanted to capture that feeling of closeness and care, but with a touch of wild curiosity and a nod to folktale traditions,” Pray wrote in a library press release. “I also wanted to pull in a hint of my 2019 PT Library’s Summer Reading design. Hence, the bears.”
In addition to revamping the program’s art work, the library has created a new tracker which simplifies marking down completed books. Participants can pick the tracker up at the library or download a .pdf from the library’s website.
The tracker can be found at the bottom of the program’s dedicated webpage, ptpubliclibrary.org/library/page/1000-books-kindergarten, along with frequently asked questions.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com.
