The Buda Public Library announced today a partnership forged between the Buda Public Library and the Central Texas Library System, Inc. to promote an early literacy program called Ready to Read.

Ready to Read is a grant-funded program intended to inform parents, caregivers, childcare providers and teachers about six essential pre-reading skills that every child needs to know in order to be ready to read when they begin kindergarten. Participants of the Ready to Read workshops learn techniques for engaging their babies and young children in language and literacy games that promote learning and school-readiness.

Key Buda Library staff members attended specialized training and are now eager to provide education for parents, caregivers, childcare providers and teachers on the importance of developing a strong foundation for reading beginning at birth. Research shows that early literacy activities can have a life-long effect on language and learning.

These free literacy workshops will be held on: Saturday, March 21 from 10:30 a.m.-noon and the focus will be babies-2 year olds; Saturday, April 4 from 10:30 a.m.-noon and the focus will be 3-4 year olds; and Saturday, April 18 from10:30 a.m.-noon and the focus will be 4- 5 year olds.

Current research on early literacy and brain development indicates that it is never too early to prepare children for success as readers. For more information on the Ready to Read workshops contact Martha Sanders, Youth Programs Coordinator at the Buda Public Library at martha@budalibrary.org or 512-295-5899.