Study on the Child Care Support Using of "Book Start" Promotion Activities for Infants by Public Libraries

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The Book Start program has been implemented as a part of a promotion by public libraries of book reading to infants. In this study, the following were examined ; (1)How is thus program integrated into infant-child care activities by the local authorities? (2)How does it penetrate into the home? (3)What kind of method is appropriate to allow it to function as child care support?As a result, the Book Start program has been acting as a trigger from public libraries and has been integrated into local Infant-Child care activities to promote interaction between caretakers and children using picture books as the medium. As a secondary effect, it is utilized to ease the tension during an infants' health checkup, and it promotes the usage of local volunteers. At home, the picture books introduced in the program have been repeatedly read to an infant by the infant's father and mother as well as brothers, sisters, and grandparents. These care takers feel "relaxed" by reading picture books to infants.The study suggested that the following are important to allow the Book Start program to effectively function as child care support by the government ; emphasizing interaction between care-takers and children as a goal of the program, and demonstrating readings for children utilizing local human resources such as librarians, social education specialists, the board of education, and reading volunteers. It was confirmed that joint efforts with these people is a new and unprecedented method of public service in the history of Infant-Child care activities by public health nurses. In addition, reading picture books for children can be an opportunity to pass down child care traditions at home.Thus, the Book Start Program as a child care support method using book reading promotion activities for infants by public libraries has the potential to develop into child care support with a perspective to foster the next generation.