Early Literacy

Helping Kids Read & Succeed!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”— Dr. Seuss

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Register Online Here – Parents you can create an account first to easily monitor your children’s activity.
Track Your Reading – Log every book you read with your child here!
Keep Reading! – Prepare your child for kindergarten by reaching 1,000 books before they enter kindergarten.
Put reading first, with 20 minutes a day spent reading to your children. Make it fun and exciting. Be imaginative.

How Do I…

Library Resources

abc mouse — Using the ABC Mouse App & library account instructions.

Physical bundles of three picture books and a storytime guide sheet (with songs, rhymes, fingerplays, and a craft idea!) for you to check out and take home to share with your family.

See and request the newest additions to the libraries’ children’s book collection today!

There are now 50,000 Little Free Libraries all over the world. Search the official Little Free Library map to find any near you today!

Every Child Ready to Read

Parents and caregivers are a child’s most important teacher. Help your child develop essential language skills by doing these early literacy activities together every day.

Every Child Ready to Read is an initiative created by the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children to encourage parents, as their child(ren)’s first teacher, to participate in enrichment activities that create the building blocks for reading.

Six Skills Your Kids Need to Begin Reading

PRINT AWARENESS (Knowing Books)
PRINT MOTIVATION (Loving Books)
LETTER KNOWLEDGE (Knowing Letters)
VOCABULARY (Knowing Words)
PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS (Knowing Sounds)
NARRATIVE SKILLS (Telling Stories)

Subject Guides & Reading Recommendations

Check out reading lists, subject guides, and more for your young child!

Kits for Kids

Books and Stories to Go Kits Also called Smart Start bags, contain 10 books on a specific topic, but count as one item to checkout.…

Find Out More Kits for Kids

Online Resources

Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) – promote the adoption and sustained use of evidence-based early literacy learning practices.
King County Library System’s Tell Me A Story – features hundreds of rhymes, songs, and fingerplays with accompanying videos.
Reading is Fundamental – tools and interactive calendars to help remember some of the easy and fun things you can do with your kids.
Early Childhood Literacy Consultant Saroj Ghoting – activities and handouts with tips.
Get Ready to Read – a toolkit with flyers for parents to recognize where their child should be and activities they can do to help them get ready for kindergarten.
Colorin Colorado – school readiness information geared towards bilingual families.
Every Child Ready to Read Information and Handouts
Reach Out and Read – Integrating reading aloud into pediatric care and helping to provide free books during wellness check-ups.
NC Office of Early Learning – provide an equitable and responsive system of support to ensure North Carolina’s children and families are successful contributors in school and life.
PBS Kids – educational games, videos and resources for you and your child.
CDC’s Milestone website – find out if your child is developing on track.
Sing With our Kids – a community project website with free songs and activities for birth to five.
StoryBlocks – a project of Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy, working in partnership with Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Services building a collection of 30-60 second videos designed to model to parents, caregivers, and library staff some songs, rhymes, and fingerplays appropriate for early childhood.
Common Sense Media – Ratings, recommendations, and guidance about movies, apps, and games for kids.

Local/Community Resources

Alamance Partnership for Children – To help every young child grow, learn, and thrive through child care center support, programs, initiatives, and more.
- Dolly Parton Imagination Library – Register to receive one free age-appropriate book every month for your child.
- Child Care Resources & Referrals
- Incredible Years – a parent support group that focuses on building a nurturing relationship with your child and managing challenging behavior.
- Kaliedoscope Play & Learn – a free weekly facilitated playgroup offered to caregivers with children birth to five years old.
Alamance Achieves – Engaging and aligning our community to create pathways for every child to thrive, from cradle to career.
- Kindergarten Readiness
- Vroom: A free online and app-based early learning platform, Vroom provides brain-building tips and tools to help parents and caregivers incorporate learning into everyday activities.
- Ready4K is a text message curriculum for parents and caregivers of children (birth – 3rd grade) to give them the information they need to help build children’s language and literacy skills by the time they start kindergarten. It’s available in English, Spanish, and Arabic.
- Additional Resources for parents and caregivers.
Alamance County DSS
- Child Care Assistance – providers, subsidy information, and more.
- Energy Assistance Program
RCS HeadStart Preschool – for children in low-income families by offering educational, nutritional, health, social, and other services.
NC DHHS Department of Child Development and Early Education – ensure the health and safety of children in child care programs, to promote quality child care by implementing evidenced-based standards and to increase access to quality child care to families and children across North Carolina. COVID Information for Child Care, Remote Learning Resources, and more.
It Takes a Village at Elon – a program that uses a collaborative approach to help children in the community who are struggling to read. Children, Elon students, and trained community volunteers are paired together for weekly tutoring sessions.

How Do I...