Blackwater Regional Library has formed a dynamic partnership with Bronco Federal Credit Union to reward our youngest readers in a BIG way. Register your child for the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program at Blackwater Regional Library and they will have the opportunity to earn their way to a Bronco Buzz Club Account and will receive a complimentary $25 contribution to get them started!

The concept is simple, the rewards are priceless. Here’s how to get started!

• Visit our Beanstack website and sign up for the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Reading Challenge. You can download the Beanstack App and sign up right on your phone:
  • Download via Apple Store
  • Download via Google Play Store
• Read a book (any book) to your newborn, infant, and/or toddler. Just one book a day is 365 books a year!
• Log your books on Beanstack. For every 100 books read, stop by your nearest branch to pick up a prize!
• Once you’ve read 1000 Books, visit the library to pick-up a completion certificate and a Bronco Credit Union Voucher to open a Buzz Club account and receive $25 courtesy deposit for your 1,000 Books B4K reader.

FAQ’s

Can we actually read 1000 books before kindergarten?

Yes! 1000 books may sound daunting but by reading only 3 books a day, your child can finish the program in just one year. By reading one book at bedtime every night, your child can finish the program in 3 years. It is never too soon to begin reading to your child and this program is open to children from birth up until kindergarten so you have plenty of time!

Do we have to read books only from Blackwater Regional Library?

No, you can read books from anywhere: your home, the doctor’s office, the dentist’s office, preschool, Grandma’s house, daycare, the bookstore, and other libraries.

I read the same story every night to my child. Can I count that book on the book log more than once?

Yes! You may read your favorite books as many times as you like! Just record the title on the reading log provided each time the book is read.

I have more than one child I read to. Can I count the same title for each child?

You sure can! And if one of your older children reads to a sibling, those count too!

Our older siblings are reading longer books and we often read along with them. Can one chapter of a longer book count as 1 book on the book log?

Absolutely!

Can I count books that are read at Story Time?

Yes! You may count the books that your child hears from his or her preschool teachers as well.

I sometimes play audio books for my child. Can I add those to the book log?

Yes, audio books count too!

What do I do with the reading log once it is full?

Each time your child fills a reading log, return it to the library to receive a certificate and prize! Your child will also receive the next reading log to continue their journey towards completing the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten journey!

From Age of Learning, Inc., the award-winning ABCmouse.com curriculum is designed to help young children (ages 2-8+) build a strong foundation for future academic success. ABCmouse.com is 100% educational, with 9,000+ learning activities across all major subject areas – reading, math, science, social studies, art and music. Best of all, kids love it!

Click here to access ABCmouse.

At this time ABCmouse.com is only available in our library branches and cannot be accessed from home.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children, from birth to age five, through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners. Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county. Today, her program spans five countries and gifts over 1 million free books each month to children around the world. We are happy to announce Dolly’s Imagination Library is now available to children in the city of Franklin, Isle of Wight, Southampton, Surry and Sussex Counties through the generosity of Smithfield Foods, the DeGoode Foundation, Surry County Chamber of Commerce, Read to Them, Inc, and Early Childhood Western Tidewater! Visit the Imagination Library website for details and to register*.