Have you ever heard of a childcare book club? Well, years ago I started a Book Club for my child care. I thought I would use books that we were reading at the childcare and encourage the parents to read the books to their child at home.
Parents love the idea of reading more to their children. I knew a book club would boost interest in our childcare program overall. Then I thought “wouldn’t it be great if I could sell those books to the parents and turn it into a mini fundraiser at the same time”?
And so our book club was born.
If you have ever considered having a fundraiser for your child care but wanted a unique idea, keep reading.
12 ways to Start a Child Care Book Club
- Unique concept – Having a book club for your child care can be something that sets you apart. Not many child cares have their own book club. I don’t know that any of my colleagues who offer such a thing. BTW it’s also a cool thing to say you have to new clients.
2. Foster an early love of reading – Start um’ young I always say. I really believe reading to children from a young age will give them a lifelong appreciation for books. Incorporating a book club into your childcare offerings demonstrates your program’s commitment to the cognitive development of the children you serve.
Fundraisers can be fun!
3. Fundraiser – As I said, the sale can be a monthly, seasonal or annual fundraiser for your child care. You can use the proceeds as seed money for new equipment, supplies, or even a special purchase for your child care. Sometimes I use the money to simply buy more books.
4. Theme topic/seasonal – If you use curriculum themes, you could choose a book that’s right on topic to generate further interest in that theme.
5. Best books for kids or favorite – If you don’t use particular themes, you can always choose from a list of The Best Books for Children, a favorite of yours, or a book that you enjoy reading to the children.
6. Circle time reading – By incorporating your book club book into your circle time, the children will quickly become familiar with the book and will likely participate in the storytelling.
Related Reading:
7. School/home connection – One of the main reasons I created the book club was to develop a school/home connection. Sometimes parents feel a little left out of their child’s day-to-day life. Having them read the book is a great way for them to connect with their child while having them interact with your childcare program as well.
8. Bring it to life – It is so much fun to add a puppet or stuffed animal as a prop at storytime. The kids get excited and will interact more when they see a character from the book come to life. Hey, you could also sell the puppet or extend the story with a cool puppet-making project!
9. Where to find books – Sometimes I really luck out and find a stash of books at a discount store. Other times I will search for books sold in lots on ebay or low price books at Amazon or Walmart. Kohl’s has a book program called Kohl’s Cares. Just about every book in this collection has a companion stuffed animal.
A childcare book club can be a great thing to offer!
10. Give as gifts – I love to give books as gifts! I even have them on my list of favorite Christmas gifts. So any unsold book club books could always be re-purposed into birthday or holiday gifts.
11. Buy one/give one – During the holidays, I offer a discount on the purchase of a 2nd book to encourage sales. I suggest that the second book could be a gift for another child or even as a donation for a local toy drive.
12. Pricing – The trick is to find a super low-priced, high-quality book to sell. If you find a low-priced book, you can offer the book at a discount less than the original retail price of the book, which usually encourages more purchases.
