In 2012, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute market research explored parent and caregiver attitudes, emotional response, views and understanding of the importance of reading with children from birth. The findings informed the development of a range of resources and campaign promotional materials, including the Let’s Read campaign tagline and key messages.
Read the 2012 Let's Read Market Research Executive Summary.
The Let’s Read key messages aim to promote and reinforce early literacy messages that encourage families to read anywhere, anytime. The market research findings showed that the key messages should have:
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a procedural or instructional component that helps families know what to do
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an emotive component that promotes the immediate personal benefits to families of reading more often with children from birth
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an outcome component that demonstrates that reading with children from birth enhances their future ability to read and write, and that an individual’s literacy levels affect their opportunities in life for education, employment, income and wellbeing.
A Let’s Read campaign poster series has been developed to depict the eight key messages, paired with beautiful illustrations by Wendy Paterson from Honey Ant Readers.
The poster series aims to encourage families to share books and stories with their children from birth. Let’s Read will disseminate posters to selected early childhood services and communities across Australian from August 2013.
Stay tuned to learn how early childhood professionals and services can purchase these posters following the upcoming 2013 national dissemination.
The Let’s Read campaign operates nationally and locally to deliver a multi-tiered strategy to engage families, children, professionals and communities in early literacy. The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute works in partnership with The Smith Family to deliver the Let’s Read community program. The Let’s Read campaign is also affiliated with the Raising Children Network and The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.
The campaign’s broad dissemination strategy has developed formal collaborations with over 25 organisations and programs across Australia, including services that engage families and children from Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse and low socio-economic backgrounds. These collaborations are critical to ensure early literacy promotion is reaching children in disadvantaged communities throughout Australia.
Read more about Friends of Let's Read
The Let’s Read DVD has been redeveloped using books from the 2013 book suggestion lists. Hosted by Leah Vandenberg and Alex Papps, the new Let’s Read DVD has been designed to encourage and support parents to share rhymes, songs and stories with their children from birth. Reading with children from birth gives them a great start to life and helps them to become better readers later.
The Let’s Read DVD has lots of simple and practical tips on how parents can enjoy books with their baby from four months of age right up until they start school and beyond. The DVD shows a range of books being read aloud in different and fun ways that you and your child will both love.
The DVD will be available soon to purchase through the Let’s Read website. Stay tuned to learn how early childhood professionals and services can purchase the 2013 Let’s Read DVD.
Check out the latest stories from Let’s Read community programs across the country:
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What's next?
More news will be available soon about:
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Australia Post Let’s Read Research 2013
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Let’s Read endorsement initiative update
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Let’s Read 2013 Literature Review (September 2013)
If you would like to receive future issues of the Let's Read campaign eNewsletters via email add your details to our mailing list now.
The next eNewsletter is due out in August 2013.