Port Coquitlam’s library is part of a new literacy push to get kids — from newborns to preschoolers — ready for kindergarten.
This month, the Fraser Valley Regional Library system, which includes the Terry Fox Library, is starting a program called 1000 Stories Before Kindergarten.
The self-paced program is designed to help parents and caregivers teach their children about reading in the early stages of a life.
Families are encouraged to read 1,000 books before their charge enters the school stream and to keep track of their progress on a free reading log.
A sticker is awarded to the child every time 50 stories are recorded.
Similar literacy programs are common around North America while both the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Paediatrics advise parents to read aloud to stimulate baby’s brains.
“Children’s librarians and teachers know how important it is to read to kids from a very young age,” said FVRL librarian Frances Thomson in a news release. “It can have a huge impact on their future success at school. Once they reach kindergarten, these kids will have bigger vocabularies, longer attention spans and a greater awareness of the world around them.”
@jwarrenTC
