Friday, May 6, 2016

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Celebration on National Readathon Day

http://vhlibrary.org/1000Books.shtmlOn Saturday, May 21st from 10:30am to Noon, Vineyard Haven Public Library will host a party to celebrate the first year of the "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten" program at the Library. At the event, the Library will be recognizing current readers and welcoming new participants. There will be refreshments and playtime for preschoolers, and parents who enroll their child in the program will receive a gift and be entered to win a door prize.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a self-paced, do-it-at-home early literacy program started by the 1,000 Books Foundation, whose objectives are to promote reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers and to encourage parent and child bonding through reading. Studies have shown that families who start reading aloud to their children at birth help to strengthen their language skills and build their vocabulary – two important tools for beginning to learn to read when they enter kindergarten.

To participate, parents or other caregivers visit the Library to register their child, at any age before they enter kindergarten. Each family will receive a reading log to record the books read together, and will receive rewards for every 100 books read, including passes for overdue fines, gift certificates, or other small prizes including books. There is no charge to participate and the Library provides everything you need to complete the program, including an easy-to-use iPhone App.

Since Vineyard Haven Library launched the program last spring, nearly 50 families have signed up, and at least three children have completed the program by reading 1,000 books, including Juniper Begin and Milo Agnew, both 2 1/2 years old.

The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program at the Vineyard Haven Public Library has been funded by a grant to the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library from the Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard. More information about the program can be found on the Library’s website.

Saturday May 21st is also National Readathon Day, a day dedicated to the joy of reading and giving, when readers everywhere can join together to read and raise funds in support of literacy. That afternoon from 2-4pm, the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library will hold their monthly mini book sale. In the spirit of Readathon Day, all books in the sale will be free, although donations to the Friends of the Library will be gratefully accepted and used to fund children's programs at the library.

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