1000 Books Before School

1000 Books Before School is a free early literacy initiative aimed at children 0-5 years and seeks to arm families, preschools, playgroups, and childcare centres with the knowledge that reading 1,000 books with their children prior to beginning school will prepare them for a lifetime of learning and a love of reading.

How to Get Started

• Using a Browser: Visit the Georges River Libraries Beanstack website and register you and your child for the 1000 Books Before School program. You will need your Georges River Libraries’ Library Card Number (Borrower ID). You will also be required to create a Beanstack account with a username and password.
• Using the App: Download the Beanstack app through the Google Play Store or Apple App Store on your smart device and sign up. Search for Georges River Council using the ‘Find a Site’ button
• Visit a Library Branch: Our friendly staff can help you register and get started.

We encourage borrowing on an individual child’s library card to help keep track of their reading.

How the Program Works

• Visit any Georges River Libraries branch to get your Reading Log and mark each book read together on the sheet.
• Log your reading progress through the Beanstack website or app.
• Every book that your child reads or listens to can be counted, and reading the same book multiple times counts each time as well. This includes stories read at Rhyme Time and Story Time sessions, day care, and playgroup.
• When you have read your first 100 books, visit a Georges River Libraries branch and show us your paper reading log or online badge to receive your "I’m reading 1000 Books Before School" bag.
• Each time you reach the next 100-book milestone, bring your reading log or online badge into any library branch to receive a merit patch for your bag.
• The program finishes once your child reaches the goal of 1000 books, starts school or turns 6 years old.
• Alternatively, you can download your first paper log here to track your first 100 books read. Ask our library staff at any branch for any subsequent reading logs (available in lots of 100) to continue logging on paper at home

Inspire your Children at the Library

There are some great resources you can find at Georges River Libraries.

Story Box Library

Story Box Library features favourite stories read by Australian and New Zealand storytellers which are easy to access while travelling or at home.

LOTE4Kids

LOTE4Kids allows children to learn a language and connect with books through the magic of storytelling.

Raising Readers Collection

Our Raising Readers collection is a bundled selection of books covering diverse stories and early learning themes that may otherwise be hard to explain.