We know that babies and toddlers need books in the home. The EPPE (Effective Provision of Pre-School Education) study being carried out by the Institute of Education has shown that pre-school children who have access to books in the home perform better throughout Key Stage One, regardless of the level of their parents' education.
Learning to turn the pages and chatting about the pictures helps to develop a baby's literacy and, more crucially, oracy. We should take seriously the findings of Ann Locke and Dr Jane Ginsbourg of Sheffield University reported in Nursery World (10 January 2002), that over-emphasis on early literacy is delaying oracy and early language. The National Literacy Trust is campaigning for a joined-up approach to supporting all parents and carers in providing a language-rich environment for nought to three- year-old children over the next ten years.
The question is how to get books into the homes of those who, for a multitude of reasons, are not providing them for their pre-school children, while also supporting effective and pleasurable use of books by parents and carers. There are two country-wide schemes which are doing this - Bookstart and All Books for Children. In addition there are many schemes that operate at local level.
Bookstart, set up by the Book Trust in 1992, provides parents with a book pack containing two free books suitable for babies, advice and information on sharing books with their child and an invitation to join the local library. The scheme is successful in reaching so many families because the library service works with the health authority to distribute the packs at the baby's seven- to nine- month health check.
In some areas Bookstart Plus schemes have been set up, giving books to toddlers aged 18 to 30 months. Unfortunately Bookstart currently has no core funding, which means that money has to be found at local level, although the scheme will receive New Opportunities Funding in the future. For more information, visit the Book Trust website at www.booktrust.co.ukor contact your local library service.
The 'funding gap' that Bookstart is currently experiencing has heightened the importance to library authorities of All Books for Children, a Reading Is Fundamental, UK/Starbucks Coffee Company initiative (Reading Is Fundamental is a scheme run by the National Literacy Trust). All Books for Children allows children under four to choose and keep three free books, distributed at 16 library authorities across the UK. To find out more see www.rif.org.uk.
Besides All Books for Children, RIF projects can be set up to bring books to the under-fours at a cost of 15 per child per year. Funding could be gained through Sure Start, a Single Regeneration Budget or the New Opportunities Fund. Again, the website is a good place to start for help and advice on setting up a project at your nursery.
There are also many local schemes that offer toddlers free books, such as Fast Lane (Babies Into Books) in Kirklees. For information about these up to 1999, try the National Literacy Trust's online database at www.literacytrust.org.uk.
Amelia Foster works for the National Literacy Trust. Early years consultant Marian Whitehead has written the guide to early literacy opposite
