Click here to Register and Log your Backpacks

 

Borrow one of the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten backpacks, curated by the Children’s Librarians at the Fairfield Public Library. The 100 backpacks each contain 10 books for you to share with your infant, toddler, or preschooler arranged by theme, character, or author. Log reading on your Beanstack reading account to mark your progress toward your 1,000 book goal. All readers who reach 500 books will earn a book to keep; read all 1,000 books to earn a certificate! Happy reading!

 

About the Program

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a national program that supports early literacy, school preparedness and the parent/caregiver-child bond. The concept is simple, the rewards are priceless. The goal is to have read 1000 books (yes, you can repeat books!) before your child starts kindergarten.

If you read just one book a night, you will have read 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at about 5 years of age, you have more time than you think. Learn more at: http://1000booksbeforekindergarten.org/

Click here to Register and Log your Backpacks

Register

Click the link above to create a Beanstack account to keep track of the Backpacks you have read with your child. Register for your Beanstack account using the adult information for the Account Creator, and then add your child as a reader on the next screen. You can also register and track your reading using the Beanstack Tracker app (see below).

If you or your child has already participated in a Beanstack Summer Challenge (Summer 2019-Present), you already have an account. Please sign in and then add the 1,000 Books program to begin participation. If necessary, you can reset your password on the login page or speak to a Librarian.

Extension Activities

Extension activities accompany each backpack. When you read, write, sing, talk, and play with your child, you are providing rich opportunities to build their early literacy skills. Fostering a love for written and oral language will benefit your child as they prepare for school, while the shared experience of reading together strengthens the caregiver-child relationship.

How It Works

The 1,000 Books Backpacks are available to borrow at the Main Library and Woods Branch Library (in smaller quantities) for a period of 3 weeks. Holds and renewals cannot be placed on the backpacks. Backpacks may be returned at either the Main Library or the Fairfield Woods Branch Library at the Circulation Desk. A complete list of all Backpacks and their contents found here.

FAQs

• Who can participate in this program? Any child from birth until the child enters kindergarten.
• How long will the program take? The program will take anywhere from a few months to a few years. The program is self-paced and will depend on your reading schedule.
• Do we have to read the backpacks in order? No! You can borrow the backpacks in any order. However, many books appropriate for babies can be found in Backpacks 1-10.
• How many of my children can participate? All of them (provided they have not yet started kindergarten)! Make it even more fun and read as a family!
• How do we keep track of the Backpacks we’ve borrowed? Select the 1,000 Books program from your Beanstack account, and find the Activity Badges tab. Each Backpack has a designated Badge so your family can keep track of which Backpacks you have read!
• Are there prizes associated with this program?  There are small prizes along the way, as well as a free book at the halfway point and entry into the FPL Hall of Fame when you reach your 1,000 book goal.
• Can I keep track of my family reading on my smartphone or tablet? Yes! Please download the Beanstack Tracker app, available on the Google Play or Apple App Store. After you create or login to your account, you can scan ISBN barcodes from books to add to your log, and view your progress and virtual badges.
• Can I use my Alexa smart speaker to log books onto our Beanstack account? Yes! Plus, if your family has multiple Alexa devices at home, you can use the same Beanstack account across devices or connect each device to a different account. The Beanstack Tracker for Alexa logs reading time or book titles.
  1. Enable the skill by either saying “Alexa, enable Beanstack Tracker” or searching for “Beanstack Tracker” in the Alexa Skill Store.
  2. If you enable the skill by voice, access the skill from your Amazon Alexa App and Choose to Link Your Account.
  3. Search for “Fairfield Public Library” when prompted.
  4. Click “Log In To Your Account.”
  5. When you receive the message “Beanstack Tracker has been successfully linked” you may close the app or website.
  6. Using Alexa, say “Alexa, open Beanstack Tracker” and follow the prompts to log book titles for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten! Because Beanstack allows families to track multiple readers in a single account, your whole family can use Alexa to log their minutes.