We love babies here in Children’s Services! Did you know, 90% of your baby’s brain development happens within their first 5 years? This means every conversation, every game of peekaboo, every book and every experience means that much more for their health and well-being now and for the future. As Children’s Services Specialists and Librarians, we don’t take this responsibility lightly. We strive to provide you and the babies in your life with high-quality programs that are both beneficial and fun! In this post, we’ll highlight how we support our littlest patrons.

Child and parent playing during storytime

Baby Storytime

Mondays–Thursdays, 9:30–9:50 a.m. (Ages 0–18 months)

All of our storytimes promote the five early literacy components from Every Child Ready to Read: talking, singing, reading, writing and playing. In other words, storytime is more than just something for you and your child to do. It’s active learning and skill-building presented in fun, interactive ways, with benefits far beyond entertainment.

Baby Storytime, in particular, encourages the bond between baby and caregiver by featuring lap-sit rhymes and activities, tickling and even some sign language to enhance communication. Caregiver cooperation, engagement and active participation are particularly crucial here. I promise you, a lot of meaningful development can happen in just 20 minutes! We can’t wait to see you there!

Browse our full storytime schedule

Illustration of a cute dragon holding and reading a book, with the text "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten" below it.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

You can continue promoting your baby’s early literacy after storytime through 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. This program encourages caregivers to embrace their role as the first educational provider and set their child up for success when it’s time to begin formal education. How? By exposing them to one thousand stories!

And it’s never too early to start. The story’s content matters less than the simple act of your child hearing your voice and looking at the pictures. It also gives you more time to bond with your child and share your favorite stories with them.

So whether you reread the same story 1,000 times, or you read 1,000 individual books, or somewhere in between, we want your baby to hear them! It’ll pay off in increased vocabulary and overall language skills once your child begins talking and reading.

If you’d like to sign your baby up for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, visit the Children’s Services Desk, and we’ll give you your first reading log. Your baby will also receive an adorable dragon bag and sticker.

Reading Recommendations

You can view a few of our favorite baby-appropriate board books to get started on your 1,000 books.

A smiling baby takes a step forward while an adult kneels and watches in the background in a living room.

Beep Bop Baby

It’s music time! Once a month, babies and caregivers can join us for 45 minutes of dancing, singing and music-making. We dance to high-energy storytime favorites (and some caregiver/librarian classics), then let the babies create their own songs with a bunch of instruments. It’s loud, fun and highly social! These programs are drop-in for kids up to age 3 and their caregivers.

Upcoming dates: 

A woman holds a baby on her shoulder while looking into the distance, indoors with soft natural lighting.

Home Delivery Service for Baby’s First Year

There’s no way around it: being a caregiver to a new baby is hard. We recognize that here at Fountaindale. That’s why we tried to make it a tiny bit easier. Our Outreach Department can deliver books to your home!

Sign up for temporary service, and get all the books you and your baby could ever want! No car ride or diaper bag required. We’ll miss you while you’re gone, but happy to still see you enjoying the library.