LEWISTON — The Lewiston Auburn Children’s Foundation recently awarded $750 to BookReach, an early literacy outreach program run by the Lewiston and Auburn Public Libraries.
The money will be used to buy new books that are developmentally appropriate for children ages 0 to 3. While BookReach has been around for 18 years, the demand for books that appeal to children ages 0 to 3 has increased significantly. To meet that need, the program is developing 20 new book bags designed just for them.
BookReach matches volunteer readers with small daycare centers that would otherwise miss out on regular library programs. The readers provide weekly story times to over 300 children at 32 daycare centers in Lewiston, Auburn and Minot. Each book bag contains 10 books which are read aloud by volunteer readers. A fresh bag of books is used each week.
Between the ages of 0 to 5 is a critical time in brain development. Studies show that children who are read to regularly have higher vocabularies and are better prepared for school than children who are not. By reading to children with expression about the world around us, we are laying a strong foundation for their future success in kindergarten and beyond.
If you are interested in becoming a BookReach reader and have one hour per week to give, call the BookReach coordinator at 207-513-3004, ext. 3515.
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