PARENTING TIPS
Because kids don’t come with instructions. Lantern provides free tips, information, and resources to help all parents and caregivers give every child a bright beginning.
At Lantern our goal is to make the most of everyday interactions between parent and child. Our text messaging service delivers actionable information from trusted early childhood experts to parents and caregivers of young children — from prenatal to age eight — to support healthy child development and build strong, resilient families.
The Lantern Text service:
- Available in English and Spanish
- Developmental tips based on the due date or age of a child
- Curated content from partners such as PBS, Vroom, and Sesame Street in Communities
- Timely information about local resources and events from community organizations
- Extended learning materials, short modeling videos, and related resources
See where fast, fun brain-building takes your family today
Vroom is a global program of the Bezos Family Foundation. We believe all parents have the potential to create a bright future for their children. Our free, science-based tips and tools help parents and caregivers give children a great start in life today—and an even better future. Click the word Vroom to explore and learn more!
LITERACY
One of the most important gifts you can provide your child is the gift of literacy. That is why we invite you to join the
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative. Help your child gain the confidence to become a strong reader. Please read books to your newborn, infant, toddler or preschooler. The goal is to have read 1,000 books before your precious one starts kindergarten. You will be amazed at how quickly the books add up.
Please stop by the service desk to sign up and get your “library bag” which includes a log to start recording your books.
We’ll give you a new reading log after each 100 books and keep the logs as mementos of a literary childhood. Look for small prizes from us along the way! And don’t forget, all books count, even those you read again and again!
Research shows that reading aloud for 15 minutes every day is the single most important thing you can do to help prepare a child for reading and learning. Sign up for the 21-Day Read Aloud Challenge today!
Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers of young children. Please explore their website and learn about the five early literacy practices. Vail Public Library encourages and promotes these practices in our weekly storytimes and programs. The Story Blocks site is a great place to watch videos of age appropriate rhymes and songs in a variety of languages.