Early Literacy
The New York Public Library offers free programs, books, and resources to help little ones read, learn, and have fun! Come to your local branch and engage in a wide variety of free early childhood programs for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Visit the Library
Find a Location Near You
Join us in branches across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island for free programs, resources, and more.
Attend Free Family Programs
Join the Library for storytimes, art and play activities, and support for parents and caregivers.
Get a Library Card
Head to your nearest branch to get your child’s first library card and access millions of books, e-books, and learning resources—with no late fines!
Staten Island Big Playdate
Come and play at the Staten Island Big Playdate on Friday, October 13! Stapleton Library will transform into an early learning playground for babies and toddlers. Celebrate the power of play and practice important early literacy skills—all while having fun!
Activities for Little Learners
Download: Early Literacy Activities
The activities in this booklet will help develop important early literacy skills at your local library and at home.
At-Home Play Guides
The early literacy team at NYPL hopes you and your little ones have fun with these play recipes from our new Early Education series: A Day of Play!
NYPL Sings
Listen to an original album created by children's librarians at NYPL. Each song encourages early literacy skills that you can do with your child every day!
Little Learners
Join us for music, movement, and multilingual fun with our friends including Drag Story Hour NYC, Bilingual Birdies, Fyütch, and more.
Early Literacy en Español & 普通话
Español (Spanish)
¡La biblioteca ofrece programas, libros y recursos gratuitos para ayudar a los pequeños y pequeñas a leer, aprender y divertirse! Ven a tu biblioteca local y participa de una amplia variedad de programas gratuitos para niños y niñas desde bebés hasta la edad preescolar.
普通话 (Simplified Chinese)
本图书馆提供一系列免费的活动、书籍和资源，帮助孩子阅读、学习，享受乐趣！请前往您当地的分馆，参加各种各样为婴幼儿和学龄前儿童免费提供的早期教育活动。
Connect with Us
Our biweekly NYPL Kids e-newsletter offers FREE activities and more for kids—direct to your inbox. Sign up for the best new offerings from the Library—from storytimes, author events, and book talks to crafts, activities, and games.
These programs and initiatives are part of the Library’s Tisch Youth Education Programs, led by the Merryl and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education. Major support for educational programming is provided by Merryl H. and James S. Tisch.
Major support for children's and young adult programming is provided by the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Family Endowment for Young Audiences.
Early Literacy programs are made possible by Arthur W. Koenig, The Gottesman Fund, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), The Lisa E. Javitch Early Literacy Initiative, the Gray Foundation, Robin Hood Foundation, The Carmel Hill Fund, The Pinkerton Foundation, The Sirus Fund, Bright Horizons, and City’s First Readers, an initiative made possible with funding from the New York City Council.