The Let’s Read 2013 reading tips and tools, based on the latest research evidence, are now available on the Let’s Read website. They are:
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reading tip sheets in eight languages
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reading tip sheets for indigenous families
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reading information sheets in eight languages
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age appropriate book suggestions.
The Let’s Read tip sheets were developed in collaboration with early literacy and childhood development experts. Margaret James and Aboriginal Liaison Officers provided guidance and advice to shape the reading tip sheets for indigenous families. All of the tip sheets incorporate certain aspects of the Abecedarian Approach to early literacy (Dr Joseph Sparling) and draw upon recent market research commissioned by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute that explored families’ attitudes towards and understanding of the importance of reading with children from birth.
Across each age range (from 4 months, 12 months, 18 months and 3½ years) the reading tips incorporate language development, everyday words in the environment around us, songs, rhymes, books, and conversational reading.
Wendy Paterson of Honey Ant Readers designed new Let’s Read mascots above( 4 months—kangaroo, 12 months—parrot, 18 months—possum and 3 ½ years—koala) as well as a series of illustrations for the new Let’s Read reading tips and tools and the campaign poster series.
Download the 2013 Let’s Read reading tips and tools
A market-tested Let’s Read campaign radio advertisement ‘Let’s Read anywhere, anytime’ has been released to all regional and metropolitan radio production companies across Australia. A translated radio advertisement has also been produced in 21 community languages and distributed to multicultural radio stations throughout the country.
The advertisement encourages families to ready anywhere, anytime in line with the Let’s Read campaign call for action and directs listeners to letsread.com.au to download a free reading pack. Families and early childhood education and care services can download this free reading pack of reading tips and tools to support families to share rhymes, songs and stories with children anywhere, anytime from birth to five years.
Listen to the Radio Ad
Download the free Let’s Read Reading Pack
The Let’s Read campaign wants to help families in Australia to be aware of the importance of early literacy and learn about how they can support children’s emergent literacy development. Key to this was a landing page on the Australian parenting website Raising Children Network (RCN). In the four months since it went live, the Let’s Read landing page on RCN has seen an increase in visits to RCN’s literacy, reading and language-related articles. Web analytics demonstrate that the Let’s Read content is meeting an audience need.
Visit the Let’s Read RCN page.
Let’s Read endorsed services will work to improve literacy outcomes for children across Australia. Goodstart Early Learning partnered with the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute to pilot the Let’s Read endorsement across 15 Goodstart sites in Victoria. Between October-November 2012 over 50 early learning professionals across the 15 sites successfully completed the Let’s Read face-to-face training. In conjunction with the National Quality Framework standards, findings from the training evaluation will inform the development of the endorsement accreditation process that commenced in May 2013. The final evaluation of this pilot with 15 Goodstart sites will inform the national roll out of the Let’s Read endorsed service initiative across Australia.
Read about Let’s Read endorsed services.
The Let’s Read online training course for professionals is in the final stages of development and will be launched in June 2013. The course will consist of four modules:
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Early Language Development
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The Let’s Read Framework
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Engaging with Families
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Implementing Let’s Read in your Community.
The Let’s Read online training course will be an interactive and innovative learning tool to engage professionals in a self-paced learning experience. Learners will have continuous opportunities to reflect on their practice throughout the course. This is particularly evident in Module 3: Engaging with Families. In this Module, learners will have the opportunity to watch a guided demonstration video and reflect on how they engage with families and build partnerships with families in communities. A training evaluation will be built into the program, enabling learners to provide feedback about how the program may have impacted on their knowledge, abilities and practices.
Take a look at the promotional video for the Let's Read online training.
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What's next?
Stay tuned for news about :
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new Let's Read DVD
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Australia Post research
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interviews with the Let’s Read ambassadors
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Let’s Read campaign friends
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national competitions and activities
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campaign poster series for early childhood education and care centres and early childhood services
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literature review (to be released June 2013).