Communities

Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

About the community

Let’s Read was initially launched in June 2014 in Ashmont Community Centre, with 35 guests and 40 children from Ashmont Preschool and Goodstart Child Care attending. After a few years' break, the program was re-launched in November 2017 and a Let’s Read Steering Committee was created.

 

 

Wagga Wagga and the Let's Read program

Let’s Read in Wagga Wagga has several community partners delivering the program: Goodstart Early Learning Centre, Morgan Street, Goodstart Early Learning Centre Lake Albert Road, Shaw St Child Centre, Bimbi Preschool, Ku Koala Child Centre, Kurrajong, Theraphy Plus and Wagga City Library. Our Steering Committee meets every second month to share ideas and experiences about the delivery of the program.

Community stories

 

Let's Read at Wag​ga City Library

Wagga City Library has implemented Let's Read in their 2-weekly Storytime sessions. Peter Casey who runs Storytime has told us of the big interest in the Let's Read book packs from both children and their parents. The library has also implemented the book packs into their borrowing system, so every curious reader can bring home a pack of books and Let's Read Tip Sheets according to the age group. The Let's Read book packs are so popular that there are barely any left to borrow at the moment!

Let's Read re-launched in Wagga in November 2017, and we are excited to see what is next for the program in our community.​

September 2018

Reading is Crucial for Kids

On 5th June 2014 Let’s Read in Wagga Wagga was launched at the Ngurra Youth Hub in Ashmont, with 35 guests and 40 children from Ashmont Preschool and Goodstart Child Care attending. View Clubs members from Wagga, Cootamundra, Leeton and Griffith attended and were able to ask Olga Srbovski, Robwyn English and Kellie Murray from The Smith Family questions about the program and how they can help. Two Learning for Life students from Mt Austin High School were able to MC for the Launch. They both did a wonderful job introducing Elder Kath Withers, Wagga’s Mayor Rod Kendall, Olga and Christine Fitzsimons from Ashmont Preschool, who talked about the program in her Preschool.

Let’s Read encourages parents to make reading part of their young children’s day and to develop a love of books before they go to school. Four Early Learning Centres in Wagga have started the program with their families and are enjoying the opportunity it gives the families to have books in their homes.

The Smith Family is funded by Jenour Foundation to deliver Let’s Read in Wagga. The local Community Committee and Let’s Read have organised to have a library of books available to the Child Care Centres for their families to borrow.

March 2015 | Robwyn English | Program Coordinator| The Smith Family

Sponsors

The Smith Family

Key contact

The Smith Family

E letsread@thesmithfamily.com.au