Reading with young children can help them develop their vocabulary, build reading comprehension and instill a life-long love of books. Liberty Lake Municipal Library has always made early literacy a big part of their program, but the library is taking a big step this fall by kicking off two new programs - 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and The Very Ready Reading Program.

Studies show that more than two-thirds of 4-year-olds aren't enrolled in preschool. For those kids, parents and other caregivers are the ones making sure they're ready for kindergarten. The first five years of a child's life have a huge impact on their success in school later, and even preparing them for adulthood. Library Director Pamela Mogen said that reading to and with kids is one of the best ways to help prepare them for school.

"Early literacy has been a top priority among early childhood people for a long time," she said. "We all have said that getting children interested in literature is important."

That's why the library is starting the programs this fall. Both are being financed by Friends of the Library, a nonprofit group that funds many of the library's programs.

The program 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, is a home-based, nationwide initiative encouraging parents to read 1,000 books with their children before they start school. 

"We really want families to be continually interacting with their children over books," Mogen said.

Sign up for this program will be Oct. 1-3 at the library. The first 50 families to sign up will receive a special record book and book bag. Prizes will also be awarded as families reach 100-book benchmarks, and accomplishments will be noted on a Wall of Fame in the library.

The Very Ready Reading Program is more intensive and is built around the seven different strategies for building literacy skills. It encourages caretakers to share playtime, books, sounds, words, rhymes, songs and stories constantly with their children. The program also includes tip sheets for both librarians and caregivers, suggesting ways that they can help to build literacy even in very young children.

The provided lesson plans are supported by materials from famous children's illustrator Eric Carl and enable librarians to make library-based storytimes as educational as possible. The program is organized to constantly challenge children to learn and grow and includes separate plans for birth to 24 months, 2- and 3-year-olds, and 4- and 5-year olds.

For the youngest children, the program focuses on rhyme and rhythm. There are accompanying songs and books that introduce babies to new sounds. There is a lot of movement incorporated into the program, encouraging parents to play games with their babies and do simple movements along with the songs. 

As the children get older, the books get a bit more complicated, with a few lines of text per page. Songs and movement are still a big part of the program, with the lyrics becoming more complex and encouraging fine motor skills. 

As kids reach the preschool years, the stories build to match their increased attention span. Follow-up activities are included that dive into the themes of the books, and kids are encouraged to enjoy imaginative play building on the stories.

"By the time they're entering kindergarten, kids should be able to start reading programs with a solid background," Mogen said.

While it was expensive to begin, Mogen said the library will be able to use the curriculum for years to come, helping to build literacy skills and a love of reading in Liberty Lake's youngest residents.

Registration for the Very Ready Reading Program will be the week of Oct. 5, and story times will begin the week of Oct. 12. For more, call 232-2510.

• • • 

Book Reviews

Library patrons comment on summer reads