A Must-Have for Newborns: A Library Card

Eight volunteers from Grand Rapids legal firm Miller Johnson visited the service center on January 21 and put together 1,000 KDL “play-grow-read to your baby” bags, which will be distributed to new moms in Kent County through a partnership with First Steps Kent. The bags are paid for through donations from Huntingon Bank, the Blodgett Foundation and individual donors.

KDL is thrilled to have community partners who recognize how crucial early literacy is to lifelong literacy.

The findings of a recent public opinion study showed that most people in Michigan think the state should invest more in early childhood education. Governor Rick Snyder, in his State of the State speech on January 16, called for “a major budget commitment” to early childhood education.

Literacy development begins in the first three years of life, and even babies as young as six weeks old are developmentally ready to begin early literacy activities. 

A few KDL programs that target early literacy: Early Childhood Essentials programs aimed at giving parents and childcare providers tools for success, a monthly Early Lit Bits newsletter packed with practical literacy advice and Babytime Storytimes aimed at encouraging childrens’ love for reading and imagination at a time when their brains experience such crucial development. And KDLville play spaces, in all our branches, do not have a minimum age restriction.

It’s never too early for a library card.