“Books for Babies” partnership launches in Fulton County

Supported by the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation

Atlanta, Georgia (December 4, 2025) – The Fulton County Library System and Reach Out and Read Georgia are launching the Books for Babies partnership, a new early-literacy initiative designed to empower families and strengthen early childhood development from birth, supported by the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation.

The first six months of a child’s life are a critical period—when foundational relationships between caregivers and infants grow at an unparalleled rate. These early interactions shape everything that follows: language development, school readiness, family resilience, and more.

Through the Books for Babies partnership, families attending 2,357 well-visit checkups for babies from birth to six months of age at pediatrician partner sites across Fulton County will receive a Books for Babies toolkit, which includes:

• A free baby book
• Early literacy resources for parents and caregivers
• Tips for reading with very young children
• Information about local libraries to encourage early and ongoing library use

This program aims to build strong reading habits from the start and to connect families with their neighborhood libraries as essential early-learning partners. “Partnering with Reach Out and Read will allow us to connect with more families, build stronger communities, and promote healthier futures for the youngest children in Fulton County,” said Erin Dreiling, Executive Director, Fulton County Library Foundation.

Reach Out and Read taps into the nearly universal pediatric well-child visit, using children’s books and shared reading to help parents and caregivers nurture strong relationships and foster language and literacy development. “We know that nurturing relationships and literacy in the earliest days and stages of a child’s life are critical to a child’s development. This partnership with the Fulton County Foundation and Fulton County Library System is a win for Fulton’s youngest children,” said Amy Erickson, Executive Director.

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About the partners:

• Fulton County Library System serves more than one million residents across 34 branches, providing free access to learning, literacy, and opportunity. fulcolibrary.org
• Reach Out and Read Georgia integrates reading and early literacy guidance into pediatric care to build strong family-child bonds and support school readiness. reachoutandread.org/georgia
• Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation is the fundraising champion and advocacy partner for the Fulton County Library System. afplf.org