New Book Babies program on Friday afternoons starts April 6

Whether your child is a morning or afternoon napper, we have a Book Babies time that will work for your busy life with baby.
Due to overwhelmingly popular demand, the Iowa City Public Library will begin offering a second Book Babies program with Karen Gordon on Friday afternoons. This is in addition to the regular morning program offered every Friday.

Friday afternoon Book Babies starts April 6 from 1:30-2 p.m. in the Storytime Room in the Children's Room of the Library. A morning session is held from 10:30-11 a.m. every Friday as well.
Spread the word, bring a friend, and take some time every week to help the young child in your life gain early literacy skills and have fun with other babies.

Early literacy programs are important, as studies have shown more than half of a child’s total intellectual development occurs before he or she enters school. Reading success starts from the time a child is born and children's earliest experiences with books are an important part of their development.
The Library’s Book Babies program (for babies 6-18 months) is a participatory program designed to foster early language development. Parents and caregivers can enjoy this time to play with baby and meet new friends.

For more information on our Book Babies program, call 319-356-5200, option 6, or email bookbabies@icpl.org.
For more information on our Children’s Outreach programs, visit http://icpl.org/kids/outreach.php.
For more information about Early Literacy, visit http://icpl.org/kids/early-literacy.php.

What Is Early Literacy And What Helps It Develop?

Early literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they actually learn the process of how to read or write. Young children need a variety of skills to become successful readers. Reading experts have determined that six specific literacy skills become the building blocks for later reading and writing. Research indicates that children who enter school with more of these skills are better able to benefit from reading instruction they receive. They include:
• Print Motivation - Developing a child's interest and enjoyment of books.
• Print Awareness - Encouraging a child's awareness in noticing print, knowing how to handle a book, and understanding how to follow the words on a page.
• Letter Knowledge - Helping a child learn to name letters, understand that they have sounds, and recognize that they are everywhere.
• Phonological Awareness - Increasing a child's ability to hear and play with smaller sounds in words.
• Narrative Skills - Encouraging a child's ability to describe things and events, plus how to tell stories.
• Vocabulary - Helping a child know the names of things.

Children’s Outreach Services

• Storytimes presented at local day care centers and preschools. Call 319.887.6029 to schedule a visit.
• Teacher Requests to pull up to 15 books on any topic. Call the Children's Room desk at 319-356-5200, option 6.
• Storytelling or Booktalks presented at local elementary schools upon request.
• Kindergarten Visits scheduled during May to share stories and information about getting a library card.
• Speaker's Bureau of Children's Librarians available to give talks to groups of parents, teachers, or childcare providers.
• Stories in the Park for children aged 3-6 at Willow Creek Park on Wednesday mornings and Mercer Park on Fridays mornings for eight weeks during the summer months.
• Begin with Books provides a Library information packet and free board book to every baby born in an Iowa City hospital, in partnership with Hills Bank & Trust Company and the Library.
• Outreach Collections provide books for children to use at Broadway Street and Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Centers, DVIP, Shelter House, Mercer Park Aquatic Center, 4Cs, the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Human Services.

Contact the Children's Services Department:
Iowa City Public Library
319-356-5200, option 6
http://icpl.org/kids/