17Th September 2019
Congratulations Wimmera Southern Mallee Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN) and partners delivering Let’s Read Wimmera. The Minister has announced they’re a finalist in the Victorian Early Years Awards 2019 in the ‘Creating Collaborative Community Partnerships’ category.
"We would particularly like to acknowledge our Maternal and Child Health Nurses who do such a great job distributing the resources and supporting the families." said Tim Shaw, Executive Officer, Wimmera Southern Mallee LLEN.
The project partners are: Hindmarsh Shire Council, Horsham Rural City Council, West Wimmera Shire Council, Yarriambiack Shire Council, West Wimmera Health Service, Wimmera Regional Library Corporation, Wimmera schools and kindergartens, Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Cooperative, Horsham Sports and Community Club, The Smith Family and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
Let's Read Wimmera was established in 2014 to improve children's literacy across the Wimmera community. A Let's Read partnership was set up in each of the Hindmarsh, Horsham, West Wimmera and Yarriambiack Shires to deliver the Let's Read program.
The program delivers support, books and resources to families at four key ages and stages Maternal and Child Health checks. Families receive the resources and support for their babies at four months, 12 months, 18 months and three and a half years from Maternal Child Health Nurses. More than 7,440 Let's Read resource bags have been distributed to families through the program.
Australian Early Development Census 2018 data shows the number of children developmentally vulnerable in the language and cognitive skills domain has reduced in the Wimmera community since the program was introduced.