New Carlisle’s Lena Picek is the first person to complete “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” at the New Carlisle Pulbic Library.
“I’m happy” said Picek, age 4, when she was asked how it felt to be the first to complete the he New Carlisle program. She completed the program just shy of 18 months.
Picek received a sticker and was awarded 2 books of her choosing. Picek stated that “Fancy Nancy” and “A Secret Door” are her favorite books, but she choose “Dorah’s Fairytail Adventure” and “Skippyjon Jones” as her prize.
“1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” began locally in 2016. A partnership between the New Carlisle Public Library, the New Carlisle Rotary Club and the New Carlisle News aimed to bring a new program designed to encourage a love of books and reading. Based on the finding that reading together on a regular basis is the single most important way to get children ready to read and to later succeed in school, the program is designed to give families incentives and support to accomplish the goal of every child reading 1,000 books before he or she starts kindergarten.
The New Carlisle program was inspired by Demi Clinton, a former Tecumseh Local Schools teacher who completed the program with his child and found it to be a rewarding experience. Mr. Clinton says of the program, “We absolutely loved it from start to finish....we started the program when my son was eighteen months old and by two years old, he was very familiar with the alphabet and the sounds letters made, opposites of words, geometrical shapes, numbers 1-10, animals, feelings, and so much more. He was also speaking and comprehending at a very high level and could better communicate thoughts and feelings which cut down on a lot of frustrations for him and us. Now, my son is in kindergarten and he is top of his grade in every subject.”
The New Carlisle Rotary Club immediately recognized the worth of this program and donated the funding to make the program possible. Mr. Scott Griffith, past President of the New Carlisle Rotary Club, commented “New Carlisle Rotary Club is excited to help parents prepare their children for schooling, for several reasons. First, our whole community benefits when our students are more prepared for school. Second, better prepared students are more likely to graduate high school, and go on to lead productive lives in our community. But finally, if even one student gains the knowledge to achieve his or her dreams, because a parent read to their child before kindergarten, the New Carlisle Rotary Club is proud to play a small part.”
Children can choose any book at the library or at home – there are no special books for this program. A child’s personal books, books checked out from the library, story times attended, books read in daycare, and repeat readings of the same book may all be included in the count to “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten.” Children can begin the program at any point, but it will end when they start Kindergarten.
For more information, contact the Children’s Library at 845-3601, ext. 207, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
