Photo courtesy of the Kalona Public Library

The Kalona Public Library has given a challenge to parents and caregivers of children by offering the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. According to Youth Services Librarian Shawna Riggins, the program has been operated at libraries around the country for several years, and the Kalona Library adopted it in October. People who take part in the program are tasked with reading books to or with children in order to foster a love of reading from an early age. Riggins says it’s a long-term, ongoing project that caregivers can complete at whatever pace best suits them. She emphasized the same book can be read multiple times and still count, and books read during library story times will also count.

Participants will be given four bookmarks where they can make 250 tally-marks, and every time a bookmark is filled, they will be rewarded. Riggins explains, “You’ll be able to put the child’s name on a little animal cutout, and we’ll post that on our wall of achievement. And then you’ll also get a coloring page to take home, so then the kiddo can color that and you can put it on your fridge so they’ve got that notice of their hard work there. When they’ve completed 1,000 books, they’ll get to put their name on a book plate. They get to choose any book in the children’s section, and then we’ll place that sticker inside it so it’ll have their name in there.” To participate in the 1,000 Books Program, caregivers can sign up online or at the library. For more information about the program, listen to the In Touch with Southeast Iowa interview with Riggins at KCIIRadio.com starting Thursday.