| Bookstart in Reading is part of the national Bookstart project – which aims to ensure that babies and children love books, and that everyone enjoys the special time you can have sharing books with babies and toddlers. All packs contain books, advice and activities, as well as information about libraries and children’s services in Reading. Reading’s libraries welcome everyone – especially children –
we
provide free access to thousands of books, as well as
storytimes and singing sessions for young children. Our aim is
for children to love books, words and reading – and
Bookstart is one way we can do this.
Bookstart
is administered by the national independent charity Booktrust.
It is a public and private partnership and is sponsored by
over 25 children's publishers as well as Red House Books.
Central funding is provided through the Department for
Children, Schools and Families in England and locally the
project is managed by Reading Borough Libraries. Bookstart
has been shown to have a major impact on children’s reading
abilities.
Reading
Borough Libraries works with Reading Primary Care Trust and
Reading Early Years to deliver:
- A
Bookstart canvas bag containing 2 books and information
for parents for all 8/9 month old babies, given out by
Health Visitors at the developmental check or available at
your local Reading library.
- A
Bookstart Plus (Bookstart+) book bag for 2 year olds,
given out by Health Visitors at the developmental check,
also available at your local Reading library and through
some toddler groups.
- A
Bookstart Treasure Box for all 36-47 month old children,
given out at the early years centre of each child.
Children
are entitled to all three packs.
There are no qualifying criteria.
Also
available on request:
- Dual-language
books (22 languages)
- Bookshine
– packs for deaf children of 0-4 years, containing a
“touch and feel” book, a book with British Sign
Language signs, a book list and other resources.
- Booktouch
– packs for blind and partially sighted children of 0-4
years, containing two “touch and feel” books, a book
list and other resources.
We
also offer Book Crawl to encourage parents to bring
their children to their local library where they can collect
stickers on each visit. They can then exchange four stickers
for a certificate.
The
information above applies to the Reading Borough Council area.
Neighbouring authorities operate Bookstart, but some details
may be different. If you are unsure, contact your local
library.
If
you are a parent or interested party and you have any
questions about Bookstart packs in Reading, contact the
Children’s Team at:
Reading
Central Library, Abbey Square, Reading, RG1 3BQ
Telephone:
0118 901 5961 or
fill in the form on the Contact page. You can also visit the
Bookstart national website at
www.bookstart.org.uk
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