EARLY LITERACY
EARLY LITERACY
Sprout Backpacks
Check out one today and nurture your little learner!
New Backpacks Ready for Checkout! Full of books, toys, games, and learning activities, these backpacks make learning fun! These quality, age-appropriate materials in each themed backpack teach young children the skills they need for school success: talking, singing, reading, writing, and learning. Sprout backpacks are for parents, caregivers, teachers & homeschoolers of children ages 1-8.
Sprout Backpacks are available for a three-week checkout from all locations or can be reserved online. Backpacks can be borrowed for up to 3 weeks, but may not be renewed.
Over 30 Learning Kits to Explore
Early Literacy Activity Calendar
Literacy is important every day! Each month at your Library you will find fun daily activities to support early learning, curated booklists to inspire a love of reading, songs or rhymes to promote language development, and early literacy tips to empower caregivers on our monthly literacy calendar. Every day is a new opportunity to grow and explore with your Dayton Metro Library.
You can pickup a copy of our monthly Early Literacy Calendar at any Library location.
Check out our May Reads!
Looking for a new favorite book?
Asian American, Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander Picture Books
Asian American, Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander Picture Books
Visit a Storytime at Your Library
Help Your Child Succeed
Be Ready by 5 connects families to resources in Montgomery County that help prepare children age 0-5 for success in Kindergarten and beyond.
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge
Reading is fundamental to Kindergarten prep. Read, track, and earn prizes for early literacy success. Track on the go with Beanstack or pick up a paper tracker at Your Library.
It's Storytime @ Home!
Storytime is now whenever you want. Our librarians and sometimes some special guests bring some of their favorite books and songs right to your home.
Take a seat and sing-a-long. It's Storytime! Check back, new stories are posted every Tuesday.
Want to drop into a a live Storytime at Your Library, you can find them in our events calendar here.
Video transcripts are available on YouTube. To find them, click on the 'more' link in the video description and then click Transcript.
Children are born ready to learn
and no one is better at teaching your child than you!
Early literacy starts at birth and includes everything children know about language, reading, and writing before they become proficient readers and writers.
That doesn’t mean teaching babies to read; it means developing skills through shared experiences, positive interactions between children and caring adults, and the critical role of literacy-rich interactions.
The best way to promote early learning starts with what parents and caregivers are already doing with their children. To develop the skills needed to read, use the five practices of early literacy: talking, reading, playing, singing, and writing. These five practices are easy to do with children of all ages. They can be done anywhere, and no special tools are needed! Take a look at some examples on our site or visit a Library program to learn more.
The sooner they start, the further they’ll go!
- When your baby makes sounds, be sure to make eye contact and respond. They’ll learn that efforts to communicate are effective and important.
- Imitate the sounds your child makes. Take turns imitating each other. Laughing is a bonus!
- Name the objects around you, describe what you’re doing, and explain what will happen next.
- Repeat what your child says using more sophisticated words and sentences to expand her vocabulary.
Thank you Dolly Parton!
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio mails kids one free book each month until their 5th birthday. All Ohio children between birth and age 5 is eligible for the program, which is available at no cost to families.
Call for storytime anytime!
Funded by the Dayton Metro Library Friends of the Library!
New stories each month - Free at 937.250.7500!
As part of our year-long celebration of Toni Morrison
Press 1 for Peeny Butter Fudge by Toni Morrison
Press 2 for The Green Umbrella by Jackie Azua Kramer
Press 3 for Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley
In Honor of Jewish American Heritage Month
Press 4 for One Small Spark by Ruth Spiro
Press 5 for Miguel’s Community Garden by JaNae Brown-Wood
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