Choosing Child Care for Children:
What About Books?

Parents visiting a child care center or family child care home that they are considering for their child should look for an environment to nurture growth and build upon what they’re doing at home.

Literary development is part of that growth. According to Joan Brest Friedberg, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Beginning with Books, "We know that to become enthusiastic, competent readers and writers, children need daily experience with books, nursery rhymes, language games, and conversation. Parents may already have a storytime at home, perhaps at bedtime. But they’ll want to be sure that the hours their child spends in child care also provide plenty of opportunities for these important experiences."

Friedberg suggests parents consider the following questions when exploring child care options for their child:

• Are there books in the room, within reach of the children? How may books? According to Friedberg, the ideal setting has at least five books per child.

• Are the books kept in several spots—for example, in the housekeeping area for pretend play as well as in the story corner?

• What shape are the books in? Well-loved and well-used but intact? No missing covers or pages?

• Are there durable board books for babies and toddlers?

• Check publication dates. Does the collection include both old favorites, like Goodnight Moon, and some new titles?

• Does the collection reflect the diversity of our world, showing a range of ethnicities and cultures, family patterns, occupations, gender roles?

• When and how often do the caregivers read to the children? Are there opportunities for both group storytimes and side-by-side individual reading?

With good books and time spent talking with children at home and in child care, a child’s brain can be well-nourished.

From the Beginning with Books Program, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh