Disclosure: This post is sponsored by East Baton Rouge Parish Library.
FREE Literacy Program Available Via East Baton Rouge Parish Library
East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s Press Start! Ready, Set, Read! program seeks to equip children ages 2-4 with early literacy skills that will enable them to enter school with confidence.
Parents and caregivers may stop by the children’s room of any Library location to pick up a booklet that focuses on beginning literacy concepts that can be incorporated into their daily routines. The booklets are full of fun activities that the children will enjoy while learning basic concepts that build a firm foundation for math and reading. Each monthly booklet will feature a new letter, number, color or concept, while also building on the previous month’s concepts. Children begin with booklet one, work their way through the program at their own pace, and earn rewards along the way.
Studies show that early literacy development strongly correlates to later school achievement. For this reason, EBRPL Children’s Services has developed the Press Start! program to ensure its youngest patrons get off to a good start and continue to reap the benefits once they reach school-age and beyond.
EBRPL’s Children’s Services Coordinator, Tara Dearing, commented, “Our Children’s
departments at each library branch will also highlight these concepts through decorative displays, book displays, and programs each month. In fact, each month will be ‘brought to you’ by a new letter, color, or concept.”
When young patrons visit the Main Library at Goodwood, they may be excited to see a stuffed Mike the Tiger wearing a circular medallion with a number upon it and a rabbit proudly arrayed with the letter of the month. The three-year initiative began in January 2022, but families may start the program at any time.
