The greatest opportunity to develop the neurological wiring necessary to begin reading is reached between ages zero to three. LA County is home to over 747,000 children ages zero to five, but nearly 600,000 haven’t benefited from library programming that helps build critical early reading skills necessary for future academic and life success. With nearly 66% of children not reading at grade level by third grade, and therefore more likely to drop out of high school, there is a need for early literacy programs to help combat the statistic.

Librarians specially-trained in the parenting support model, Triple P (Positive Parenting Program), engage children with literacy and STEAM activities through storytime. Children are given free books to encourage building their own home library, which positively impacts the level of education a child can reach. To extend learning further, librarians connect care providers with play kits containing resources such as books, puppets, CDs and guides to ensure access to high-quality early literacy materials.

Since May 2018, the Reading Machine has visited 945 daycares, and there have been 20,000 learning engagements with young children and adults. In surveys, 40% of parents felt more confident in their parenting skills with increased awareness of the importance of reading to their children; 95% of providers felt more confident in delivering their own storytime and exploring basic STEAM activities. These visits are creating readers, establishing partnerships and modeling an innovative service for caretakers to replicate.