The Superior Express -

The 1,000 Books B-4 Kindergarten Challenge kickoff event was held Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the Nelson Library. The library had applied for and received a Youth Grant for Excellence through the Nebraska Library Commission, which made this program possible. 1,000 Books B-4 Kindergarten is an early literacy program. Reading to a child at the earliest possible age is important to developing good communication and comprehension skills once the child begins school.

The library set a goal to enroll 30 children in the program and is well on the way to reach that goal. Nineteen children signed up to take on the challenge.

This is an ongoing project, and families are encouraged to bring in their newborns through pre-kindergarten-age children and sign them up at their earliest convenience. 1,000 Books B-4 Kindergarten presents opportunities for parents to realize the value of books and how reading to their child helps the child grow a much larger vocabulary by the time their child starts school. Reading aloud is a great bonding time for families, making them stronger.

Tuesday, parents filled out a registration forms and media permission slips and the children received his or her very own library card. Families were given a book bag with the child's name and the 1,000 book logo heat pressed onto the bag. It was filled with tips and ideas about reading to your child, a bookmark, a reading log sheet with 100 stickers and a button magnet to stick on the fridge. The library board and staff presented each family with the book "1,000 Books B-4 Kindergarten, A Pledge and a Promise." It is a delightful book that tells the family about all the things they will read about and what fun it will be.

Parents are encouraged to return to the library often to exchange books. Upon completion of each 100 books read, the family is asked to come in and have their child's picture taken. The library is incorporating the theme of "Grow a Reader" into the program so with every 100 books read, they will be able to place a leaf on the tree with their name and number of books read on the leaf. They will do this each time they complete 100 books.

The library is also planning fun prizes along the way, like personalized t-shirts; a favorite book given to the child; a book dedicated to the library in the child's name, fun decals, buttons, bookmarks and other prizes.

Drake and Layla Fox receive their own library cards during the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten kick off event at the Nelson Library last Tuesday. Jenny Hoecker, a library board member, created and handed out the new library cards to the children during the event.

A light lunch was available for all who stopped by - served by volunteers Linda Reed and Betty McCutchan. Board members Jaynie Spirk, Mickey Vork, Jenny Hoecker, Charlene Schultz, and Deb Troudt, along with staff Mary Statz and Dawn Shaw and volunteer Pam Safago staffed the various stations to make the whole sign-up go smoothly.

The Nelson Library has also just received a gift of 100 new children's books, ranging from pre-kindergarten through early readers. These books were a donation from the Brownstone Book Fund, a private foundation in New York City interested in fostering early reading, a love of books and encouraging parents and children to read together. We invite you to visit the library and explore and enjoy our new collection along with all the library has to offer.

This project was supported in part by state aid funding appropriated by the Nebraska Legislature, granted and administered by the Nebraska Library Commission.