Brooklyn Reads to Babies

BPL launches early literacy campaign; stresses importance of reading to infants

By Laura B. Weiss -- School Library Journal, 1/1/2006

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) in New York City knows the importance of reading to infants to help boost brain development and school readiness. That’s why it recently launched “Brooklyn Reads to Babies,” a two-month outreach campaign that targets every family with a child less than two years old.

With close to 40 percent of its inhabitants hailing from other countries, Brooklyn is also the borough with the largest number of kids under the age of five. With that in mind, program developers distributed brochures to hospitals, doctors’ offices, and community centers in seven languages ranging from Arabic and Chinese to Russian and Creole.

Library Director Ginnie Cooper says the campaign is part of the library’s “First Five Year’s” initiative, aimed at getting parents and caregivers “to read in whatever language they’re most comfortable in.”

“Babies and Books,” one of the 11 early literacy programs that were offered from November 2005 to January 2006 at 60 Brooklyn branches, introduced caregivers to the importance of letting babies hear an adult voice either through reading, singing, or talking at mealtime, bathtime, and playtime. “The main message is to read to your baby whenever, wherever, and not to tie it to coming to library programs,” says Judy Zuckerman, BPL’s assistant director of neighborhood services, who heads up the initiative. All program participants take home a cloth tote bag filled with board books, a brochure, a sippy cup, and a stuffed Maisy doll. For more information about the program, visit www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/first5years/read/baby.