We believe every child should have an excellent personal library before Kindergarten. Our affiliation with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library allows us to offer their program delivering a new, age-appropriate, expertly-selected book every month from for any child under age 5 living in Berkeley, California. Books are a gift to the child.
Research from around the world shows that early literacy maps directly to a child's cognitive development, academic success and even their life expectancy. Improving literacy doesn't have to be complex. The first step is getting books into children's hands. All children. That's why we've affiliated with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to help the children of Berkeley build excellent personal libraries before Kindergarten.
Photo by The Berkeley Baby Book Project
Photo by Beth Watson / Creative Commons
Photo by The Berkeley Baby Book Project
Photo by Donnie Ray Jones / Creative Commons
Photo by Lauren Odell Usher Sharpton / Creative Commons
Photo by The Berkeley Baby Book Project
Photo by The Berkeley Baby Book Project
Starting as early as birth, children receive one hand-picked book every month for free, no strings attached. Available to any child under age 5 living in Berkeley, CA.
Meet and play with other book-loving children from Berkeley. Enjoy complementary refreshments and a wide variety of hands-on activities led by our volunteers.
Early literacy is empowering. It's tempting to try and sign up as many children as we can, as quickly as possible. But we plan to help Berkeley's children amass great personal libraries for generations to come. In order to do that, we have to start small, and expand with success. The community response has been outstandingly positive, and we're excited for the road ahead.
Here's what we've accomplished so far, in numbers:
Since the creation of The BBBP, over 100 children have already aged out of the Imagination Library program.
Our numbers are growing steadily by word of mouth, and our goal is to serve the entire community.
In affiliation with Imagination Library, we've delivered thousands of books since our start in June 2015.
There are plenty of ways to help get books in the hands of Berkeley's children. If you're a parent, register your child for Imagination Library or join us for a Baby Book Club. If you've got skills you're willing to lend, volunteer with us. If you'd like to support our mission, make a donation or see how else you can help us grow.
One hand-selected book, delivered to any child age 0–4 living in Berkeley. All you have to do is sign up. We take care of the rest.
Meet and engage with other book-loving parents and children from Berkeley. Enjoy complementary refreshments and hands-on activities led by our team of volunteers.
Help us improve The BBBP by providing much-needed assistance with book mailing, Baby Book Club activities, event photography and more.
