Since 1971, Week of the Young Child has been celebrated by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and early childhood educators around the country. This weeklong event is a time for communities to learn more about the hard work being done to help educate and prepare young children (birth through age 8) for success in school and life.

At the library, we affirm the importance of these formative years and strive to support our littlest library users and their families.  Here are some ways we can support reading and learning with the little ones in your life:

Storytimes

We offer a wide range of storytimes for babies, toddlers, and preschool-age children. Our storytimes are designed to encourage quality adult-child interactions. Early childhood experts tell us that these interactions are key to the development of early learning. To view upcoming storytimes, visit our Storytime Calendar.

And if you can’t make it to Storytime, bring Storytime home to you with Storyline! This service offers recorded stories over the phone, and is geared toward preschool and early elementary children and their families. Call  to tune in! The library will offer newly recorded stories each week.

RVA Basics

This regional early learning initiative focuses on five essential aspects of a child’s development. Learn more about each Basic here:

  1. Maximize Love, Manage Stress
  1. Talk, Sing, and Point
  1. Count, Group, and Compare
  1. Explore through Movement and Play
  1. Read and Discuss Stories

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

This book challenge is a great opportunity for families to introduce the habit of reading into the life of their young child. Participants can earn prizes as they log more books. And thanks to the Friends of Henrico County Public Library, we now have 100 book kits in our branches! Each kit contains 10 unique books perfect for readers from birth to age five. Learn more about how to participate on our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten page and explore available book kits through our catalog.

Staff Recommendations

In case you have ever wondered what our children’s services staff consider their favorite books for young children, here is a great big list. We hope you will find some new (and old) books to add to your child’s 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten TBR (to be read) pile:

If you need more recommendations, please fill out a My Next Read for Kids form and our children’s services staff will dig deeper into our collection for even more book ideas.

We hope this information helps you and the little ones in your life as they become lifelong readers and library users. Happy Week of the Young Child!