ONE BOOK AT A TIME

Families are invited to join the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program at their local CMRLS Library. The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is a nationwide challenge that encourages parents and caregivers to regularly read aloud to their children. By reading just one book a night, and it is okay to repeat books, families can reach the 1,000-book goal in three years and provide their children essential early literacy skills.

Research shows that the most reliable predictor of school success is being read to during early childhood. Reading to children from an early age can help close the vocabulary gap and prepare children to enter kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed. Most importantly, sharing books with children promotes a lifelong love of books and reading.

This year-round program means that there is no start or finish date. You begin when you wish and read at your own pace. There are no fees and you may check out books for your child on their very own FINE FREE library card. Your library also has a phone app so that you can easily keep track of the books you read to your child — even if you read the same book again, and again! When you have read 1,000 books together or your child begins kindergarten, your library can print for free a list of the books you have read together and a completion certificate for your records.

When asked about this program, CMRLS Director Mara Villa Polk said, “Reading with your children is a legacy that will remain with them for a lifetime.  I have two children under the ages of three.  I read to them before they were born and since then they have displayed an excitement and joy for books and reading with me.”

The program is free, the library card is free – and FINE FREE, and you can keep track of your progress on your phone, tablet, or computer. You will have given your child the priceless beginnings of a skill they will use throughout their life-time and a skill they can share with the next generation.

For more information on 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and your child’s FINE FREE library card, visit or call your local CMRLS library. Contact information, location, and hours of operation can be found at www.cmrls.lib.ms.us or call 601-825-0100. Central Mississippi Regional Library System serves the public libraries and the more than 216,000 citizens of Rankin, Scott, Simpson, and Smith Counties.