Building language skills with infants and toddlers will be easier thanks to generous support from the Kootenay Savings Community Foundation, who recently awarded a $9000 grant to support the Books for BC Babies (B4B) program in the East and West Kootenay and Boundary region. With this funding, the Kootenay Library Federation has purchased enough B4B kits for every Kootenay Boundary newborn arriving in 2011.
Books for BC Babies is a community supported program dedicated to connecting families with resources to help their child’s development in the critical 0 to 5 years. Each B4B kit contains a board book, a CD for sing along and a booklet for parents and caregivers explaining why babies need books, word play, songs and rhymes. The kit also contains a $5 coupon courtesy of Kootenay Savings, which will allow parents to open a Kootenay Savings Start Account for their youngster without the membership fee.
Why focus on babies? Well, they represent our future and it’s everyone’s job to get them off to the best start possible. Research continues to show that reading, singing, talking and playing with newborns is the best way to build early language skills. Language skills influence a child’s lifelong success. Books for BC Babies is a start toward supporting each child to reach his or her potential. The program introduces baby’s family to the world of books for fun and learning, all available through your local library.
In most communities, the B4B kits are delivered jointly by the local public library, the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy and the Public Health Units of Interior Health. Babies typically receive their kit at their six-month check up at the health unit. If you have questions about Books for BC Babies or the B4B kits, please contact the Rossland Public Library at (250) 362-7611.