You are probably familiar with this old saying: if you don’t know where you’re headed, any path will take you there. Here at Best Beginnings, we have embarked on a three-year plan that definitely tells us where we are headed and lays out several paths to get us there! From FY 2018-FY 2020, Best Beginnings Read More
Our New Website is Live
Take a look at our new website! A component of our three-year plan, the website has been redesigned with parents of young children in mind. It has a fresh, contemporary, clean look, and parents are telling us how easy it is to navigate. From the homepage, you can easily go to the main buckets for content: Read More
November 2017 E-Newletter: Talk is Cheap – and Priceless.
People say talk is cheap, but for babies, talk is priceless. Talking with babies has been shown to have an amazing impact on the growth of their brains and development of language, key to their future success in school and in life. And, unlike products that are advertised to parents as critical to making their babies Read More
Talk is Cheap – and Priceless.
People say talk is cheap, but for babies, talk is priceless. Talking with babies has been shown to have an amazing impact on the growth of their brains and development of language, key to their future success in school and in life. And, unlike products that are advertised to parents as critical to making their Read More
October 2017 E-newsletter: Growing Alaska readers
Thousands of parents, a group of generous supporters, and dedicated volunteers have one thing in common: they are on the front line of inspiring young Alaskans to become life-long readers. Statewide survey results are in and Imagination Library is making a big difference for Alaska families. To keep the books coming to those families, the 3rd Annual First Read More
Laying the foundation for school success
About 10,000 Alaska children are entering school this fall, for the first time, as kindergartners. We wish them the very best start to a successful school career! It’s positive interactions between babies and caring adults that help set the foundation for the first day of school. Yes, it starts with babies. In addition to reading Read More
Book Party in the Park 2017
FREE Books and Family Fun Join Best Beginnings for an event that celebrates the importance of literacy and language! We invite you to thread’s 11th Annual Book Party in the Park on August 10th from 4-7 pm. Children of all ages will have access to FREE books, live music, snacks, crafts, multilingual story-time, and other Read More
Good News & Bad
There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that the Legislature has passed an operating budget that includes funding for early childhood — $320,000 for Best Beginnings, $500,000 for Parents as Teachers, and $2 million for PreK grants. A big Thank You! to all those concerned Alaskans who met with, called, and emailed Read More
Old and New Favorite Picture Books
See how engaged this little boy is in one of Mo Willems’ books? He’s on his way to becoming a good reader! I love children’s books, too, especially picture books. Some favorites of my crowd of 6-and-under grandchildren these days are books that delight and engage adult readers as well: Any of the Elephant and Read More
Words Count!
Read. Talk. Sing. Play. WORDS COUNT when it comes to a young child’s rapidly developing brain. The quantity of words is important. Equally important is the quality of those words! Read on for some good ideas to make your WORDS COUNT every day.
