Nursery World was among the organisations involved in talks initiating Getting a Head Start: A good ideas guide for promoting reading to young families.
The National Literacy Trust said it was providing parents with ideas and resources because the first years of a child's life are crucial to the development of speech and language skills. The guide states, 'Sharing books, from birth onwards, provides an enjoyable opportunity for parents and babies to learn to communicate with each other, as one of the many things they do together.
'Not only does sharing a book require a one-to-one focus, it also helps babies develop their listening skills so they can hear the sounds they need to differentiate and copy, an essential part of their language development.'
Advice to childcarers includes helping parents to choose suitable books for their children and giving them time to chat about the illustrations and discuss the story and reactions so they know how to share it with their child. It also encourages parents to have a 'quiet time'
every day to read books without any background distractions such as a television.
Initiatives covered in the guide include PEEP (Peers Early Education Partnership) based in Oxford, Coventry's Footsteps into Books and the Dadzone project in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
Neil McClelland, National Literacy Trust director, said, 'Those in constant and close contact with parents - health visitors, early years and childcare workers -are ideally placed to support and encourage them. They are able to suggest practical ways in which parents and carers can show children what books can offer and what fun and enjoyment they can bring.
'They can also advise those parents who would themselves like literacy support as to where they can find help.'
Copies of the guide (ref NRC GHS) are available free from the Department for Education and Skills (0845 6022260 or e-mail dfes@prolog.uk.com).
* The National Literacy Trust is planning to launch a long-term early language campaign next year with the aim of enabling every child to be raised in a language-rich environment. The Trust is currently organising pilot groups to determine how to approach the campaign. Mr McClelland would welcome input from Nursery World readers. Contact him at Neil.McClelland@ literacytrust.org.uk.
