Strong Minds Begin by

Reading to Babies from Birth

What We Do

 “BabyRead® is a free program for Oconee County families. We accept families with babies and toddlers from birth up to three years old. At BabyRead we are not teaching the child how to read.  We are not providing daycare. We assign you a trained, screened volunteer who reads with moms, dads, grandparents, guardians - any caregiver and their baby/toddler in public places, mainly town libraries. We provide free hardboard books, healthy snacks and age-appropriate magazines. We encourage and support families/caregivers in reading to their babies and toddlers and discuss the importance of reading daily to your child from birth.  In addition, we show families good practices in reading and language development that foster brain development such as reading effectively, cuddling, reciting nursery rhymes, singing songs, performing finger plays, and describing your activities while performing daily tasks. We read with moms, dads, grandparents, guardians – any caregiver.  You don’t need to be able to read well to be a BabyRead family.  We will help you.”

Caren von Hippel, Ph.D., BabyRead® Founder & President

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Our Mission

  • Encourage & support families to read daily to their babies from birth to 3 years old

  • Demonstrate to parents/caregivers effective reading, singing, playing, language development and other activities that help the child learn the pre-literacy skills needed to be successful in school and in life

  • Increase the community’s awareness about the importance of reading to children from birth

  • Partner with Oconee County organizations that are dedicated to improving children’s readiness for school

  • Help break the cycle of poverty in Oconee County by teaching babies & toddlers pre-literacy skills needed to learn how to read, a key to success in school and later in life

Our Impact

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“Hello Mrs. Cole,

My name is D’Neya. My son Jordan is a part of your BabyRead Program in the Seneca area. I just want you to know the we really enjoy the books that the program gives the children. They are very nice books and all of the kids love them. I love how our baby lady, Mrs. Gina, interacts with the kids when we meet. She is a very kind hearted person . . . The ALDI gift cards really put a smile on my face. Theirs also (after I cut up all of the fresh fruit.) But anyway I truly appreciate you and what BabyRead does for the children.

Thank you. ”

D’Neya B., BabyRead Family

 BabyRead® is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides free services to its families in Oconee County. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent of the law.