NEOSHO, Mo. — A new initiative from the Alliance of Southwest Missouri is targeting early childhood literacy by putting miniature libraries in waiting rooms of government organizations in order to encourage early childhood literacy.

Called “Wonderland Libraries,” the shelves are stocked with books appropriate for children from birth to approximately 10 years old, and families are encouraged to take a book with them when they leave.

Research suggests that children who regularly read, or who are read to by adults, are more likely to be successful in school and to be proficient in literacy by the third grade, said Jen Black, Executive Director of the Alliance of Southwest Missouri. Reading together also builds bonds between parents and their children, which supports the alliance’s mission, Black said.

The Alliance of Southwest Missouri is a community partnership that works to promotes the safety and health of families in the region, focusing on child and family health and well-being, violence and substance abuse prevention and community involvement.

Wonderland Libraries are designed to reach children who may not be exposed to books on a regular basis, Black said, which is why they can be found in offices like the county health and children’s department.

“These are places (visited by) families who might be struggling and maybe can’t afford a library for their children on their own,” Black said.

Black said there are similar programs in the area like the Little Blue Bookshelf Project, sponsored by United Way of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas. Wonder Libraries serves counties that are out of United Way’s region.

The County Health Department in Newton, Missouri, actually holds two libraries, one in the Women, Infants and Children office and one in the nursing services office. Books waiting to be picked up include “Goodnight Moon,” a picture book for young readers by Margaret Wise Brown, and “Kate Walden Directs: Night of the Zombie Chickens,” a chapter book for older readers by Julie Mata.

Pam Link, the Newton County WIC coordinator, said the Wonderland Library in her office gives away up to a dozen books to families in a single week, while many other families simply read the books while there and return them to the shelves.

“They really enjoy it,” Link said. “A lot of the parents will sit and read to their kids.”

Black said the alliance has had to replenish the shelves “frequently” since the libraries began going up in April and May. Her goal, she said, is to get a book into the hands of at least 600 children in Southwest Missouri.

Young children and infants who are read to by adults for at least 20 minutes per day, three times per week, are more likely to be ready for school, get better grades in school, get a better job, succeed in life and be happier as an adult, according to a report done by the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

The Wonderland Libraries initiative is funded by a grant from the Family and Community Trust, a nonprofit organization based in Missouri. The same grant, Black said, also will help the alliance put books in backpacks that are distributed to children in the state’s foster care system.

Younker writes for the Joplin, Missouri Globe.