Liverpool — One thousand books may seem like a daunting goal, but by reading just one book every night, families can reach that milestone in three years — two years before a child enters kindergarten.

The Liverpool Public Library has kicked off the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative to encourage families with young children to get into reading. Youth Services Librarian Laurel Sharp estimated that LPL signed up about 60 families for the program during its two kickoff events Feb. 15 and Feb. 18.

The program is a nationwide initiative that urges parents to read aloud to their young children before they start school, instilling in kids not only basic literacy skills but a passion for reading and books.

“Kindergarten teachers and other researchers noticed that some kids come to school … ready to read,” Sharp said. “Other kids aren’t as familiar with books. They don’t have the background to engage and have fun with them.”

Little ones darted between stations for reading, singing, playing, talking and writing (or coloring) at LPL’s 1,000 Books kickoff events while their parents signed up for the challenge. The idea, Sharp explained, was to get kids to associate books with fun.

“They’re not drilling their alphabet, they’re getting familiar,” Sharp said.

Nicole Miller, a teacher at Soule Road Middle School, brought her 22-month-old daughter, Sophia, to the Feb. 18 kickoff. Miller said Sophia regularly attends LPL’s storytimes.

“We read lots of books. We’ve probably hit 1,000 already, but we’ll start tracking,” Miller said. “I’m a teacher, so I know every book read is aiding in a student’s fluency. Reading to her early is important to me — loving the library is great.”

Tammy Rivera signed up for the 1,000 Books initiative with her two granddaughters, Gabriella and Adelyn. She said the goal “seemed like a lot,” but said “anything that you can give children to help their education” is beneficial.

continued — “Both parents read to them a lot. I take care of them during the day and I read and sing to them often,” Rivera said.

Rivera said she takes the girls to libraries all over the county to take advantage of the different programming.

“I say they’re going to be smarter than a kindergartener,” she added, referencing the game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”

Judy Siau, of Cicero, has been bringing her 3-year-old son, Malachi, to LPL since January. She learned about the 1,000 Books kickoff from a flier in the library. Siau said she and Malachi read every day and he’s a big fan of storytime.

“He actually likes reading and I want to encourage him,” she said. “I want to emphasize it more: We read before naptime and bedtime, but I want to incorporate it into our everyday routine.”

Looking around at the room full of youngsters banging on drums and xylophones or reading aloud with their parents and grandparents, Siau said it was helpful to see other families involved.

“It helps that there’s other kids here, too, so he’s like, ‘Oh, there’s other kids my age and they’re doing it too!’” Siau said.

LPL’s kickoff of the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge ties in with the library’s other programming.

“We are excited to launch this new program,” LPL Director Glenna Wisniewski said in a release. “It goes hand-in-hand with the early literacy initiative Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library that we incorporate into all our storytimes — showing parents and caretakers how to use the five practices of talking, singing, reading, writing and playing to develop the early literacy skills that will help children when it’s time to learn to read.”

Parents can sign up for the 1,000 Books program for free at the library or on its website, lpl.org. Families can track their progress with downloadable reading logs or via an app. Incentives such as a tote bag for books, paperback books and hardcover books are given to families who reach certain numbers of books throughout the program.