Youth Reading Programs

The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is designed to help parents/caregivers prepare their children for one of life’s big milestones: Kindergarten!  Numerous research projects have consistently shown that children prepare to read years before they start their formal education.  The most effective way to prepare your child to learn is to read to them.

Lillian DesMarias Youth Library is challenging all Kindergarten-5th graders to read 500 Books Before Middle School. The goal is for you to develop a lifelong love of reading. There is no assigned reading, so you can read whatever you want during this program.