FROM The City of Chandler website
The Chandler Public Library has announced a new Reading Program for preschool children. “1000 Books Before Kindergarten: Read It and Reap!” will kick-off Sept. 1 at the library. The program for preschool age children encourages parents to read and share stories on a daily basis to instill in children a love of reading as well as improving brain development.
Parents will be provided with reading logs. There will be incremental rewards for achieving specific numbers and then a grand prize for reaching 1,000 books before that first day of kindergarten. The Chandler Public Library also participates in the Texas State Reading Club for the summer months and promotes reading through special story times, events and even movies. The library is open daily from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday.
In “The Role of Public Libraries in Children’s Literacy Development,” Celano and Neuman said that “a survey of recent literature reveals that libraries continue to play a major role in fostering literacy in our nation, particularly among those segments of the populations that need special assistance in developing literacy skills, such as preschool and elementary school children. Public libraries are in a remarkable position to expose children to great quantities of print and meaningful language opportunities that researchers say are crucial to reading achievement. One study found that children who had been exposed to a library preschool program showed a greater number of emergent literacy behaviors and pre-reading skills than did those in a control group.”