Naperville launches reading challenge: 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
Every word, every sentence, every chapter, every book - they all count toward helping children achieve early literacy, librarians say.
So why not strive to read a "big, flashy number" of books - 1,000 of them - before a child starts kindergarten, says Ellen Norton, children's services supervisor at Naperville's 95th Street Library.
That's the idea behind a self-paced reading program Naperville Public Library launched Friday.
Called 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, the program is offered at several suburban libraries to encourage parents to regularly read to their little ones to improve their comprehension and enjoyment.
"It's a great opportunity for kids who haven't yet entered kindergarten to get a jump-start on early literacy," Norton said. "The more young children read, the better equipped they'll be to learn on their own."
At least 50 pairs of parents and young kids signed up Friday to aim for the 1,000-book goal, Norton said. In Naperville's free program, participants receive a book log to track their reading, and kids can get a sticker if they visit the library after every 100 books.
"We hope it brings parents and kids into the library to check out more materials to expand their horizons," Norton said. "You could read the 25 books you have at home 1,000 times, but it's way more fun to read variety."
Reaching the 500-book mark brings a prize from the DuPage Children's Museum. And when a parent-child pair completes 1,000 books before the kiddo starts kindergarten, the child's name will be recorded on a bookplate inside a new book in the library's collection.
"I think it's going to be a great motivator for kids to get to check out this brand-new book from the library and see their name in it," Norton said.
Some suburban libraries already are seeing participants complete the 1,000-book goal. In Lombard, 12 of the 527 kids who signed up for the program at Helen Plum Memorial Library since it launched in September 2014 have finished; and in Arlington Heights, which also started a program in September 2014, the numbers are greater: 620 participants and 36 finishers.
Norton said the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program was established at a library in rural Indiana, based on a quote from children's author Mem Fox that kids should have 1,000 books read to them before learning to read themselves.
Since then it has spread across the country. Participating programs, including those in Elgin, Gurnee, Mount Prospect, St. Charles, Wheaton and other suburbs, are listed at 1000booksbeforekindergarten.org.