by Stephanie Bailey-White

A record-breaking forty-seven public and school libraries applied to participate in My First Books for next year, requesting services for almost 4,500 children from birth to kindergarten. Read to Me has funding to serve a little more than 3,000 children in the coming year so the review process was very competitive. "The number of applications demonstrates how critical the need is to get books in the hands of children who are unlikely to have many books at home and are less-likely to visit their public library," said Read to Me Project Coordinator Staci Shaw.

Over half of Idaho’s children qualify for federally-assisted nutrition programs, and many of these children have no access to age-appropriate books. "We wish we had the funding to serve all the children requested on the applications, but we know that our libraries will make a lasting impact on the lives of the children we are able to serve with this program," Shaw said.

My First Books (formerly Read to Me First Book) provides a book each month to participating children, along with a parent newsletter aimed at early literacy awareness and activities that help children get ready to read. Participating libraries partner with preschools, daycares, and/or elementary schools for the school year. Librarians visit the partner site(s) each month to conduct a storytime, model early literacy skills, and distribute the Book of the Month and parent newsletter, The Bookworm. Librarians also conduct one parent workshop or family literacy event during the year for parents of participating children in order to increase awareness of early literacy skills and resources offered by the library. Parents are encouraged to sign up for a library card.

The Read to Me program has sponsored this program since 1997 and received state funding along with Library Services and Technology Act funds to reach more children starting in 2008. Each year the number of children served has steadily grown.The program has been thoroughly evaluated by Boise State University Literacy Professor Dr. Roger Stewart. The data shows that My First Books parents read more to their children and actively engage their children in other early literacy activities as a result of participating in the program.

When the number of applications exceeds the amount of funding available, priority is given to public libraries that have participated three years or less. The 36 libraries who will be participating in the 2012-2013 program are:

• Aberdeen District Library
• Armoral Tuttle Public Library, New Plymouth
• Bellevue Public Library
• Blackfoot Public Library
• Boise Public, Main
• Cambridge Public Library
• Cascade Public Library
• *Clearwater Memorial Public Library, Orofino
• Coeur d’Alene Public Library
• *Community Library Network, Post Falls
• Community Library Network, Rathdrum
• Community Library Network, Spirit Lake
• DeMary Memorial Library, Rupert
• East Bonner County District Library, Clark Fork
• East Bonner County District Library, Sandpoint
• Garden City Library
• Gooding Public Library
• *Grangeville Centennial Library
• Idaho Falls Public Library
• Jefferson Co. District, Menan-Annis
• Kuna District Library
• Lizard Butte Library, Marsing
• Marshall Public Library, Pocatello
• McCall Public Library
• Meridian Library District, Main
• North Bingham County District Library, Shelley
• Payette Public Library
• Portneuf District Library, Chubbuck
• *Ririe City Library
• Shoshone Public Library
• Snake River Community School
• South Bannock District Library, Lava
• *South Bannock District Library, McCammon
• St. Maries Public Library
• *Twin Falls Public Library
• West Bonner Library District, Priest River 

*First-Time Participants