BEGIN WITH BOOKS / Parent Reading Tips

BEGIN WITH BOOKS has delivered 487,379 books* to babies and toddlers in Charleston County since 2010.   Every book that arrives in the mail has been carefully selected by an expert panel of child development experts, educators, and librarians at the Dollywood Foundation.   These Imagination Library selections are culturally diverse and developmentally appropriate for the age of your child.   By enrolling in BEGIN WITH BOOKS you can be confident in knowing you have just the right books on hand to read to your child.     However, when it comes to choosing books to supplement your child’s library, you don’t have to be an expert – the following provides a brief introduction to the types of books available for young children and some tips to keep in mind as you navigate the many choices available. Types of Books for Young Children (with examples from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library selections) Picture Books These books don’t really tell a story – the...

After a lengthy stay at home, your child may not be as keen to leave the house as you are. -- As shelter-in-place restrictions are slowly being lifted, child-care centers in Charleston County are gradually reopening.   Child-care is essential to getting parents back to work and jump-starting the economy.   But as much as you may be looking forward to resuming some semblance of normality, your little one may not be as eager to do the same.   Sure, she may be missing friends and special center-based activities, but the trade-off has been spending a great deal more time with the person she most wants to be with – you!   Even if your preschooler has been going to the center since a baby or toddler, don’t be surprised if she experiences some separation anxiety all over again.   You may be feeling your own anxiety about leaving your child in this new Covid environment and, let’s face it, social distancing protocols and masks are simply unsettling.   Even i...