Raising a child to be ready for school takes time, patience and effort. Botetourt County Libraries invite parents and caregivers of young children to participate in their “1,000 Things Before Kindergarten” (1KTBK) challenge to aid in this preparation.
Dedi Spradlin of Botetourt frequently visits the library with her granddaughters, Rowen and Charlie Heavner, while their parents work. Mrs. Spradlin says the library programs she’s taken advantage of have helped them to “grow and learn to love learning.”
She has found the 1KBTK challenge particularly impactful for the girls. Each time she tracks a completed activity for the 1KBTK challenge into the online app, her granddaughters look at each other and say, “Check!” with satisfaction. They also “love” and feel “very proud” of the books they’ve received for achieving their book reading goals.
When Rowen was stuck in bed recently with a short illness, Charlie insisted that her grandmother give Rowen the “Paddington Sets Sail” book that she had won for achieving a reading goal. Charlie said she had to read her sister the story to help her get better.
Mrs. Spradlin remarks, “Wow. What a difference that program has made.”
The 1KBTK challenge is based on five pillars of joyful learning that start at birth. These pillars are “Maximize Love/Minimize Stress,” “Tips to Talk, Sing and Point,” “Tips to Count, Group and Compare,” “Tips to Explore Through Movement and Play,” and “Tips to Read and Discuss Stories.”
The challenge was originally done in person, but Ms. Jaime Duval, Botetourt librarian, and Ms. Jackie Howarth, the now retired youth services coordinator, converted it to a digital format during the pandemic. As a result of this effort, Ms. Duval says, “We were able to reach families when our doors were not open, which made this resource invaluable to us during a time of uncertainty.”
Even when libraries were allowed to start back with their programming, the digital format remained useful. The Botetourt County Libraries decided to incorporate the challenge into their story times.
The librarians demonstrate ways to read aloud, fingerplays to repeat, engaging songs to sing and other early literacy concepts at story time. Ms. Duval says this has given families “the confidence to continue on their own at home.”
1KTBK is, like most library services, completely free. When parents sign up, they receive a bag for books, information about the benefits of the program and the science it’s based on and fun bookmarks. It also gives kids the opportunity to earn book as prizes, as Charlie and Rowen have.
Ms. Duval knows the effort she put in to 1KBTK has been worth it. “Navigating the world of parenting can be challenging. 1KTBK aims to alleviate some of that stress by providing guidance and support along the way. By participating in 1KTBK and attending story times on a regular basis, we are giving our families the tools to make [school readiness] a reality for everyone,” she says.
Mrs. Spradlin agrees and describes the library services as “the best deal going.”
To sign your children up for the challenge, visit bocolibraries.info and click on the “Programs and Classes” tab.
