A few months ago you could hardly walk through the Best Beginnings office. Boxes upon boxes of our newest book set for young children, Seasons of Alaska, filled nearly every room. Thanks to hard work and many, many mail runs, now over 20,000 of these books are in the hands of Alaska children all across the state – Read More
Best Beginnings Receives Library of Congress State Literacy Award
Best Beginnings is one of 10 organizations selected from nominations across the United States to receive a State Literacy Award from The Library of Congress in 2020. Best Beginnings was nominated for the award by The Alaska Center for the Book for its “outstanding and innovative contributions to literacy in the local community and across Read More
Week of the Young Child
With lots of families spending more time at home together, it may feel like every week now is the week of the young child. However, there’s one particular week in which we pay special attention to young children, their families, and the early care and learning programs and teachers that support them. The Week of the Read More
Lean in to Literacy
As we continue to “hunker down” in Alaska during the coronavirus pandemic, good news is often hard to come by. Here’s a good news story I love to tell! This month, 17,609 children in 118 communities in Alaska are finding a brand-new, high-quality, age-appropriate book in their mailbox, at no cost to their family. Best Read More
Update from Best Beginnings
Thank you for taking the health and safety of our Alaska community to heart. The last few weeks have seen dramatic changes for nearly every family, and like you, we continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19 closely. Best Beginnings is committed to doing our part to slow its spread and support families during this Read More
What makes a reader?
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” This is attributed to award-winning children’s author, Emilie Buchwald, and exemplifies the work of Best Beginnings – getting books into the hands of young children and supporting their parents’ efforts to prepare them for school and life. You probably have seen or heard about Alaska Read More
Host a We Count! Census 2020 Event in Your Community
As early childhood partners you all have a unique opportunity to help ensure that every Alaskan child is counted in the 2020 Alaska Census! Did you know that children are one of the most undercounted populations in the state? Roughly two million children under the age of 5 were not counted in the 2000 census. And the Read More
Alaska Counts!
Alaska Counts! Did you know the very first person counted in the 2020 US Census was Lizzie Chimiugak, a 90-year-old Yup’ik elder in Toksook Bay on the Bering Sea? Difficulties with mail and internet services in much of rural Alaska means census workers will go door-to-door to be sure everyone is counted. More urban areas Read More
Reading Through the Holidays
The winter holidays are upon us! This year, they are all packed into a short, 10-day period: Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Day. Whatever particular holidays you and your family celebrate, I encourage you to stop, take a moment, and read. With cold temperatures and snow on the ground (somewhere in Alaska!), Read More
Holiday Gifts for Children
It’s that time of year when parents, grandparents, and others start to think about what holiday gifts to give the children in their lives. We have found several sources to help you choose appropriate books and toys for young children. Best Beginnings’ Early Literacy Director Stephanie Schott especially recommends these books from Commonsense Media’s list Read More
