What is Racing to Read?
Racing to Read serves children ages 0-5 at child care facilities in Kenton County. The goal of the program is to build the foundation of early literacy skills so children are Kindergarten ready.
Library staff from the Racing to Read program about 35 childcare centers and perform about 150 storyimes every month throughout Kenton County. During each visit, Library employees read stories to children, allowing them to interact with books and hear how words are formed. After the stories, children and their teachers are invited onto the Racing to Read vehicle to check out materials from the collection of 3,000 items shelved onboard. In addition to books for children, the the truck houses teacher resources like nonfiction teaching materials and CDs.
Racing to Read Program
Storytimes
- Storytimes are intended for children ages 0-5.
- Librarians visit every classroom in a childcare facility providing a 15-20 minute storytime in each.
- Every librarian has their own style of storytime, but often they will include elements such as singing, puppets, playing instruments, rhymes, etc.
Bookmobile Visits
- Children ages 3-5 have the option to visit the bookmobile during their Racing to Read visit.
- Teachers and children have the opportunity to check out books for their classroom from the collection of books housed on the bookmobile.
- The bookmobile is equipped with a functioning circulation desk, about 3,000 books for varying reading levels, a wheelchair lift and heating and air conditioning systems.
Book Checkout
- Teachers can elect to choose their own books from the truck, children can choose their own books from the truck or a librarian can take requests and curate a teacher collection for the month.
- Racing to Read books can be renewed twice, allowing them to be kept up to 3 months.
Racing to Read Visits
Meet the Read Racer!
Say hello to the Read Racer! We get smiles from people on the street when they recognize what the Read Racer is. We get waves from children on the street, in cars, and buildings when we drive up because they know what Racing to Read is. The Read Racer gets called the Library Bus, the Book Truck, and sometimes even “LIBRARY” with that level of shouted enthusiasm.
Click HERE for the full story.
