Core Programs
Gift Book - Book packets containing high quality paperback books are distributed to local families through partner agencies. Parents receive tips on reading aloud and information on the resources available at their local library.
Read Together - Matches children ages 3-8 with trained volunteers who read to them, one-on-one, once a week at after-school programs and in select libraries. Children form a strong bond with their adult reading mentor, gain reading experience, and learn the sheer joy of reading aloud.
Early Literacy Outreach (ELO) - Supports local childcare providers and educators by helping them create a strong literacy-based learning environment for children. The program includes group training sessions and bi-monthly visits from Beginning with Books staff who share resources, best practices, and evaluation tools. Each caregiver is provided with a collection of 60 new, age-appropriate, multi-cultural hardcover books for his or her classroom.
Everybody Wins!- Matches trained volunteers with children in grades 1, 2, and 3 during their school lunch period. Children form a strong bond with their adult reading mentor, gain reading experience, and learn the sheer joy of reading aloud.
Raising Readers Parent Clubs - Offer an opportunity for parents to discuss early literacy-related topics with a focus on incorporating daily reading sessions into the family routine. Parents meet weekly for eight sessions and receive a new children's book at the conclusion of each session.
Storymobiles - Our libraries-on-wheels visit 100's of community sites (such as public housing communities, day care centers, and schools), serving over 3,000 children and circulating approximately 10,000 books annually. The Storymobile brings reading and literacy-based activities to children from low-income families and communities. They carry a large selection of age-appropriate, quality children's books for participants to borrow.
Best Books for Babies - An annual list that provides a nationally recognized guide for parents, teachers, and caregivers in selecting quality literature for babies (infants through 18-months). A panel of librarians, child development experts, and academics reviews outstanding books, published in the United States each year, and judges them on elements such as clear, bright illustrations, age-appropriate subjects, and interactive capabilities.
In addition to our core programs and services, Beginning with Books also coordinates the following annual conferences and special events:
The Early Literacy Conference, sponsored in partnership with the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh, brings together hundreds of educators and early childhood professionals to highlight the latest research and best practices in early childhood literacy.
The Provider Conference, sponsored in partnership with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU), brings together regional childcare providers and early childhood educators for a day of workshops and training designed to strengthen professional skills, as well as foster a pro-literacy environment at the various homes and centers represented.
Throughout our 25-year history, Beginning with Books has been at the forefront of a movement to significantly and successfully have an impact on the early childhood literacy needs of children throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania.