1000 Books Before Kindergarten ties into the nationwide, early literacy program 1000 Books Before Kindergarten that will help your child be ready for school. Parents of kids from birth to age 5 are encouraged to participate.

After parents or caregivers read aloud 100 books their kid will receive a free book from Tazewell County Public Library. Read 1000 books and earn a Super Reader Cape, handmade especially for your child! Reading aloud to kids is the number one best way to prepare them for school and a lifetime of learning.

Participate in this nationwide effort to read aloud and gear up your child for success! This program is endorsed by Tazewell County Public Schools, Head Start and the Children’s Reading Foundation of Appalachia.

Babies Need Books is a program to provide free board books to babies and toddlers in Tazewell County. It’s never too early to start reading aloud to a little one. It may seem like babies are too little to benefit from books and stories, but babies are like sponges and absorb language. Reading aloud lays the foundation for school success. The more words they hear, the better! Our goal is to ensure that every child in Tazewell County is reading at grade level by the 3rd grade, and this begins in the cradle!

We need your help to sustain this program! Please partner with the library to invest in the future of the children of Tazewell County. For caregivers, sign up your babies and toddlers for a fine-free library card (available through age 17), get a bag of free board books, Read Aloud 20 Minutes a Day, and spread the word about the importance of reading aloud to little ones. For donors, donate new board books to any TCPL location or make a tax-deductible contribution to the Friends of Tazewell County Public Library, earmarked for Babies Need Books. 100% of your donation will go towards board books for kiddos.

Babies Need Books is funded in part by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, Save the Children, the Partners for Education at Berea College, Kentucky. Our partners include: Head Start, The Friends of Tazewell County Public Library, Labor of Love Mission, the First Responders of Tazewell and many, many others.

For more information, please contact Lisa Tyson at ltyson@tcplweb.org, 276.988.2541.

Tazewell County Public Schools and the Tazewell County Public Library are partnering to support students’ ongoing education. We share the belief that a love of books and learning is a strong foundation for student success and we are working together to provide every Tazewell County student access to digital books and resources found at their public library.

All Tazewell County Public School students will automatically be registered to be able to borrow public library digital books and resources. We are calling this initiative STAR (Students and Teachers Access Resources).

Read more about the Star Program