A new Catholic Education SA (CESA) initiative is promoting the importance of reading from birth – by providing take-home books and encouraging families to read to the littlest members of our communities.
CESA has partnered with Paint the Town REaD to launch ‘Paint Playgroups REaD’ through its network of supported playgroups, just ahead of National Playgroup Week which is celebrated in Australia from March 20-26.
Paint the Town REaD is an early literacy community scheme that works to motivate communities across Australia to read with their children so they’re ready to learn to read at school.
The first project of the Paint Playgroups REaD initiative – the ‘Book Swap Box Project’ – is being rolled out across the 60 Supported Playgroups in Catholic Education (SPiCE) that currently support over 1,600 children and 1,200 families across South Australia.
The aim of the project is to encourage families to read with children from birth by ensuring that all children in these communities have access to quality books.
Each supported playgroup will be provided with a box filled with donated books for families to access and take home each week when they come to playgroup. Books can then be returned to any of the supported playgroups across South Australia.
“We want every child to have access to books at home no matter what their individual situation in life may be, so our Book Swap Boxes are for families to take a book home at the end of each playgroup session,” said Emily Bowden, Early Years Consultant, Catholic Education South Australia.
“Research shows that our brains do most of their critical development in the first three years of life and that every time we read, talk, sing, and rhyme with children, brain connections grow, and foundations for learning are built.
“Therefore, it is crucial that opportunities are provided for children to be read to and to engage with books within the first 3 years of life to improve their latter literacy skills.”
Over 1,000 books will go out into homes of children across the state, both new and pre-loved – all of which have been donated generously.
“We would like to acknowledge our friends at Raising Literacy Australia and the Mitcham Library for their generous donations,” said Emily.
Schools will continue to work in collaboration with the playgroups to collect ongoing donations and maintain the Book Swap Boxes.
One of the first boxes went to the playgroup at St Augustine’s Parish School at Salisbury, who enjoyed a visit by Dr Neil McGoran, Director, Catholic Education SA, who read and sang with little ones and their families.
The Book Swap Box project was launched recently at a gathering of SPiCE facilitators, where they also received training in the power and importance of early brain development.
The experienced facilitators are supported in their work by Catholic Education SA consultants, including to spread the importance of reading to the families in their communities.
“Our SPiCE Program supports the playgroup facilitators to promote to families the important message about how reading and talking everyday with their children can literally help to grow their child’s brain,” said Emily.
You can find a SPiCE playgroup near you via the CESA School Directory.
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