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Early Literacy

Early literacy is what children know about communication, language—verbal and non-verbal—reading and writing before they can actually read and write. Last Updated: Apr 10, 2025 2:17 PM

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

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Help your child get ready to succeed in school by reading 1,000 books with them before kindergarten! Each book you read counts, including every reread favorite and book you hear in storytime! Studies have shown that families who start reading aloud to their children at birth help strengthen their language skills and build their vocabulary.

How the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Program Works

  1. Any child who hasn’t entered kindergarten yet is eligible for the program, including infants. 
  2. Go to fairfaxcounty.beanstack.org or visit your local library branch to register for the program. We encourage you to use a paper reading log to include children in the fun. Make sure to display reading logs in a special place so children can see their progress.
  3. Track your reading. At the following milestones, return to any Fairfax County Public Library branch to receive a prize.

25 Books | 100 Books | 250 Books | 500 Books | 750 Books | 1,000 Books

Need help using Beanstack? Watch our tutorials. 

Questions? Email LibEarlyLiteracy@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Reading Logs

Don't want to use Beanstack to log your reading? Print a paper log or get a paper log from any FCPL branch. Fill out your log and return it to your local library to receive a prize. 

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