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Books, Babies and Beyond |
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Research has shown that reading to
children from birth impacts positively on the relationships they
build with family, their ability to develop conceptual awareness and
oral language skills, and assists in preparing for school;
ultimately resulting in a positive self image.
Patterns are harder to break when children have begun school.
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The project |
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Books, Babies and Beyond - a
joint project between Charlton and Wedderburn Colleges - aims to
improve children's literacy levels in the Charlton and Wedderburn
districts of regional Victoria.
The project will help develop
children's interest in reading prior to beginning primary school
by encouraging parents to read to their children
every day from birth. This is achieved by presenting parents with a book bag
containing a copy of The Reading Bug by Paul Jennings and
several story picture books. In conjunction with the book bag, a
series of informative workshops are held with every
playgroup, pre-school and young parents group in the districts.
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The results
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The project has reached over 150
families in the Wedderburn / Charlton districts. Communication
with parents and community has improved. Parents who obviously
avoided school contact have been more confident and relationships
between parents and teachers has improved. Fathers attended an Expo
with their children and grandchildren, which represents a
significant cultural shift for the community, as previously,
fathers were rarely present at educational activities.
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