Vol 5 No 2 Dec 2008-Mar 2009 - Bundaberg Regional Libraries

COMMUNITY LITERACY PROGRAMMEAbout Let’s ReadThe Let’s Read Programme is aninitiative of the Centre for CommunityChild Health, being developed andimplemented across Australia inpartnership with The Smith Family. Itsaim - to promote emergent literacy amongyoung children aged birth to five years.The programme is designed to supportand empower parents and carers to readchildren, and give practical advice about‘things to do’. Families will also receivesome resources to support their readingactivities.2. Mature aged volunteers will offer ‘readaloud’ sessions in the community. Thiswill be an opportunity for young childrenand their parents to have a fun readingexperience with older people from thecommunity.with their children, and to develop thebuilding blocks that are needed to makethe transition from home to school aseasy as possible.Let’s Read is being rolled out in 11Queensland regions over the next fouryears, and Bundaberg and Childers are inone of these regions.The Let’s Read programme:1. Community based professionals aretrained to work with individual parentsand promote the messages aboutthe importance of reading with youngCommunity based professionals havebeen working with families since July.Service providers such as Qld Royal BushChildren, Child Health, Disability ServicesQld, Phoenix House, IMPACT, TSDAT,Coral Coast Kindy, Pathways, Isis Child &Family Network, Isis Kindy and BundabergHospital - Allied Health team members,have all been talking to families aboutthe importance of reading to their youngchildren. The response from families hasbeen very positive and the children (andtheir parents/carers) are loving their ‘free’books such as Dear Zoo, Brown bear,COMMUNITY 35