SPEARFISH, SD – Grace Balloch Memorial Library has launched a 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, which encourages parents to read with their children at early ages.
“Reading to children when they are young helps develop a love of reading from an early age, provides bonding time between parent and child, and helps prepare children for school,”
Library Director Amber Wilde said.
All preschool children may participate in the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, which was made possible by a grant from United Way of the Black Hills, with assistance from the Friends of Grace Balloch Memorial Library. The program is self-paced, can be started at any time, and must be completed before a child starts kindergarten.
Library Director Wilde explained that books may be re-read and count toward the total.
“We will help keep families supplied with books to read,”
she added, describing that if families read one book together per day, that is 365 books annually, allowing people to reach the 1,000-book goal well before children start kindergarten.
The program provides rewards for various levels, with participants encouraged to visit the library each time they reach a 100-book milestone to receive a surprise and see their progress, and the final prize is a book bag, book, and certificate.
Parents may register online or via the ReadSquared app, and they can also stop by the library, located at 625 North 5th Street, to pick up a paper reading log. More information is available at https://www.cityofspearfish.com/260/Kids.