In 2012-13 Let’s Read partnered with Goodstart Early Learning to pilot an emergent literacy professional development package that aimed to increase the capacity of educators who have limited time and resources. Stay tuned for the project report in 2015!
In this project, centres were supported with tailored professional development, resources and guidance to develop programs to foster emergent literacy and engage with children, families and their community about the importance of emergent literacy activities.
The project helped to create and sustain high quality emergent literacy environments, by successfully increasing educators’ knowledge, as well as strengthening their confidence to engage with families.
In order to make a version of the package available beyond the pilot sites, a Let’s Read eLearning course was developed. This course was a finalist in the 2013 Victorian eLearning Awards and a 2014 LearnX Gold Award winner. Let’s Read also offers other resources and professional development services.
Let’s Read had the opportunity to be have information booths at both the Early Childhood Australia Conference and the Australian Library and Information Association conference this year. It was a great opportunity to meet many people in both sectors and find out what interests them in relation to early literacy. Thank you to all of you who dropped by to chat!
We offered a prize draw for signing up to our newsletter or completing a survey during these conferences. Congratulations to the following winners!
-
Let’s Read eLearning centre-wide package: Vinsensia Christanto, Murray House, The Infants’ Home, NSW. You can find out more about this prize here.
-
13 high quality picture books for 0-5 year olds: Melanie Bruce, Buddies Early Learning Centre, Victoria
-
Free enrolment in the Let’s Read eLearning course: Hayley Williams, Just Kids, Queensland and Teena Miller, Coordinator Library Services, Mandurah, WA. Find out more about this prize here.
-
Let’s Read DVD and poster packs: Catherine Rosalion, Autism Support, Victoria and Karen McAllister, University of South Australia Library, South Australia. Find out more about this prize here and here.
-
Gift voucher: Sandra Jeffries, West Gippsland Regional Library Corporation, Victoria.
Sharing books every day from birth helps children develop the skills they will need when it’s time to start school.
This year, Let’s Read and Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) collaborated to establish a new Let’s Read 0-3 years book award category for the 2014 SPA Book of the Year Awards. The winner was I’m a Dirty Dinosaur by Janeen Brian and Ann James. You can view all the 2014 SPA Book of the Year Award winners here and maybe find some gift ideas!
The Let's Read Book Suggestion Lists also provide some great ideas for gifts and can help families to choose age-appropriate books for their children. You can borrow these books from your library and read them with your children over the summer holidays! These books are recommended by early literacy experts.
The Kids' Book Club delivers quality books, regular postcards from "book buddies", and a love of reading!
For just $25 a month you can join the Kids’ Book Club and build your child’s library, from birth until eight years of age. Each month your child will receive an exciting new book selected by a panel of early-learning specialists to best suit their age and stage of development, and to foster a love of reading.
Every membership to the Kids’ Book Club also supports United Way Australia’s early literacy programs in disadvantaged Australian communities. Your child’s membership means United Way Australia can give other children the chance to improve their early literacy skills too, through our programs that deliver quality, age appropriate children’s books (just like the ones your child will receive), support parents to increase shared reading at home, and facilitate community activities that spread the love of reading far and wide.
Visit the Kids’ Book Club website to learn more and sign up.
Let's Read Community Program Stories
Check out stories from the following Let’s Read community programs:
Subscribe now to the Let's Read eNewsletters, add your details to our mailing list now.