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1000 Books Before Kindergarten

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What is 1000 Books Before Kindergarten?

Read aloud to your child and give them a smart start! The idea is simple: read 1000 books with your newborn, infant, toddler, or preschooler before they begin kindergarten – and they’ll benefit for years to come! 1000 Books makes it easy to build a daily habit of reading.

Our reading program makes it fun to participate. Sign your child up for their own library card and register them in the program online or at the library. You’ll get a fun “passport” to track your child’s growth and achievements, tips and tricks to help your child, and great info about events at the library. Track the books you read together online or in an easy app. Every time you finish a book, it counts (did you read Goodnight Moon a dozen times? That’s a dozen books!).

For all participants

Mid-Year Journey Celebration

The Reading Journey Celebration is an event held every March that celebrates the current and past participants of the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program! All families are invited to attend and recognize their Readers’ wonderful accomplishment!

The 2025 Reading Journey Celebration:

 

Join us on March 1st!
For the completers

Annual Celebration

Our annual fall celebration honors the children who have completed the 1000 Books before Kindergarten program by July 31st of that calendar year. Finishers will receive an invitation to attend via email or phone call. This is an invitation-only event.

Note: If your child completes 1000 Books before Kindergarten after July 31st, don’t worry! They are an early finisher and will be invited to next year’s celebration in 2026.

The 2025 annual celebration will be held on Friday, September 12th at the Dover Community Center next to the Dover Library.

Kids Dancing During 1000 Books Annual Celebration Boy With Glasses Smiling Holding Book On Stage During Celebration Kids Watching ASL Presenter During Celebration Family Of Three Posed Smiling In Front Of YCL Backdrop

The Benefits of 1000 Books Before Kindergarten

There are countless benefits to reading to your child at an early age. This early literacy program encourages a love of reading from infancy and beyond.

Reading to your child pays off for years to come!

In the first few years of life, your child builds more than 1 million new brain connections every second. By reading aloud with your child, they:

  • Build vocabulary
  • Become familiar with rich language patterns
  • Identify reading as a pleasurable activity

Citation: Hall, S. L., & Moats, L. C. (1999). Straight talk about reading: How parents can make a difference during the early years. McGraw Hill.

It is never too early to begin!

You and your child can start on your journey to 1000 Books from the day they are born until the day they begin kindergarten. Infants learn about language by listening to adults talk.

By talking, reading stories and asking your baby lots of questions, you are building their vocabulary and letting them know that questions are invitations for a response.

Just follow these few steps:

  • Register your child for their own library card
  • Register for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten on Beanstack
  • Visit your local library to pick up your registration packet, have your child’s picture taken, and place it into their 1000 Books Passport

That’s it! You’re ready to start your reading adventure together!

  • If you read three books a daywith your child, you’ll finish in just one year.
  • Read two books a daywith your child, you’ll finish in two years.
  • Read just one book a day with your child, you’ll finish in three years.

Everything! Every book you read counts, every time your child hears it. This might include:

How do you complete 1000 Books Before Kindergarten?

Read with your child whenever and wherever you can. Besides stories at bedtime or naptime, you can bring your child to library Story Time for lots of fun with others! You can also stick a favorite book in the diaper bag, gift books to stay at auntie’s or grandma’s house, and ask your daycare to let you know when there’s a group story time that day. It all counts, and your child will benefit well into their school years.

Read books with your child & log them

1000 Books Reach Milestones Content W Subhead

There are so many books to choose from! Check out our recommendations or browse our online catalog. Log your books and track your progress using Beanstack (available online and on mobile app; scroll down for more info).

Reach Milestones

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Read your first 100 books, then come to the library for your first passport stamp and more! Return after every 100 books for more passport stamps. Your child will earn special prizes at 500 and 1000 books!

Celebrate Achievements

  • Snap a picture with our achievement signs! Don’t forget to tag your posts with #1000booksB4K and #YorkLibraries!
  • Attend our annual Reading Journey Celebration, held in the winter.
  • When you complete 1000 Books, you’ll get an invitation to a special celebration event to join other families and recognize every child that read 1000 Books Before Kindergarten for that year!

Using Beanstack is easy!

With Beanstack, it’s easy to register your family’s cards in one account and track the books you’ve enjoyed and how long you’ve spent reading. If you’re new to Beanstack, visit our Beanstack Tips & Tricks Page for details and tutorials!

Bonus: You can log the number of books and the number of minutes you read at the same time to complete multiple reading challenges at once! Watch the video for a quick tutorial.

Beanstack Tips

Register your child for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Now!

Sign up today