![One Book 4 Colorado (084CO) provides every 4-year-old in the state a copy of the same new book via public libraries, Reach Out and Read Colorado Clinics, and Denver Preschool Program sites. "My 4-year-old loves the book. [It] was sitting in our van the day we received it and his older brother saw it, picked it up, and read it to him. This is HUGE for kids to have a positive experience with reading and I love that it doesn't just have to come from us parents.”](https://www.lrs.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ob4co.jpg)
In May 2013, about 74,000 free copies of the book Duck on a Bike were distributed to 4-year-olds across Colorado during the second annual One Book 4 Colorado program (OB4CO), which aims to increase awareness of the importance of early-childhood reading. Parental response to the program was positive, as indicated by survey results. Seventy-five percent of parents responding to the survey claimed that they had read Duck on a Bike with their child multiple times. About half of the responding parents also agreed or strongly agreed that they spend more time reading with their child since participating in OB4CO. Additionally, about half of responding parents stated that their child is more interested in/talks more about books thanks to OB4CO.
A recent report by the Pew Research Center, Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading, addresses the use of libraries by families, and further examines parents’ perceptions of the importance of libraries in their children’s development. According to the report, 7 in 10 parents (70%) reported that their child had visited a library in the previous 12 months. Of the children who visited libraries, almost half (46%) attended a library event, such as the OB4CO’s giveaway. More importantly, more than 9 in 10 (94%) parents stated that libraries are important for their children, and 84 percent of these parents believe that “libraries help inculcate their children’s love of reading and books.”
Interested in learning more about early literacy and libraries? Check out our Fast Facts, “Early Literacy Information on Colorado Public Library Websites.” This report includes a link to early literacy resources that libraries can add to their websites.
Note: This post is part of our series, “The Weekly Number.” In this series, we highlight statistics that help tell the story of the 21st century library.