CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The Clay County Public Library System in Fleming Island, Florida, is collaborating with community partners to distribute over 500 books to families at Baptist Medical Center Clay’s Labor & Delivery Unit.
This initiative is part of the Baby Bookworms program, which aims to foster early childhood reading among infants, toddlers, and their caregivers by providing them with a children’s book.
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According to the Department of Education, increased reading and being read significantly enhance children’s vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and overall academic success.
In a new release, the county said Baptist Medical Center Clay will receive a total of 507 books, and each book will be delivered inside a goodie bag. Families will receive a copy of Goodnight Moon, a children’s bedtime story written by Margaret Wise Brown. Each goodie bag our library staff has put together for families also contains a bib, a bookmark, a library card holder, and brochures with information on activities that families can do at the library.
The Baby Bookworms program is made possible through the generosity of the Carlton Foundation for Kids, Inc., which donated the books. Additional contents of the bags were funded by an Innovation Grant from the Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN).
For those interested in supporting the Baby Bookworms program, donations can be made by contacting the Clay County Sponsorship Coordinator, George Biastre, at George.Biastre@claycountygov.com.
Parents are also encouraged to visit any of the five local Clay County libraries to check out a copy of “Goodnight Moon” using their library card.