Lombard library celebrates one year of '1,000 Books Before Kindergarten'

It was a year ago this week that the Helen Plum Library in Lombard launched a new program called 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten.

While it may sound like an overwhelming challenge, more than 400 kids have signed up for the program.

Even more impressive, five already have completed it.

Claudia Krauspe, head of the youth services department, said the task isn't too difficult if it's planned the right way. Plus, she said, no matter how long it takes, every book read to a child is a positive thing.

"We feel like this is one more option, one more tool, to help families build readers, to share quality time and to really affect the future success of their children," she said.

The library's program is modeled after a national 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. While families can opt to do the program on their own, using materials from the organization's website, Krauspe said they get some extra perks - including free books and stickers - when they sign up to do it at Helen Plum.

Children who are about a year out from starting kindergarten can meet the goal with three books a day, Krauspe said. A family starting three years before kindergarten could finish with about one book a day, and parents who start reading to their newborns will have plenty of time to complete the challenge well before kindergarten starts.

The first finishers were twin sisters Elodie and Amelia Giganti. The girls started the program a week after it began last September and finished in late June, with the help of many adult family members who took turns reading at least three books to them a day.

"We always read at least one book at nap time, two at bed time and then anytime they're interested," their mother, Ashley, said.

Ashley said she calculated how to finish the program in a reasonable amount of time and started checking out 21 books each week at the library. She said it ended up being a fun activity to do as a family, and everyone from her husband and her mom to her sister and her brother-in-law got involved.

"I think it's really neat for children to see all their family participating in reading," she said. "It exposed all of us to a bunch of new books instead of just the same books over and over."

While the program helps expose children to new words and pictures, some parents, like Ashley, also are participating in hopes it helps instill a love of learning at a young age.

For details, visit www.helenplum.org.