Libraries boost literacy thanks to First 5 Forever
Published on 03 February 2017
Last year, Rockhampton Regional libraries helped thousands of youngsters with the First 5 Forever literacy program and this year they’re on track to help even more bubs and tots.
First 5 Forever (F5F) - a partnership between the State Library of Queensland, the Queensland Government and Rockhampton Regional Libraries - encourages parents and carers to talk, sing, play and read more with their young children.
Community Services Committee Chair Councillor Rose Swadling said F5F was an excellent program offering a variety of sessions for children and their families.
“The F5F program was a resounding success last year and extremely popular with 3410 attendees at 186 sessions where they enjoyed reading, singing, playing and most importantly sharing family experiences,” Cr Swadling said.
“Our sessions including Read with Me Storytime, Dads Read, Lively Rhyme Time and Technotots to name a few can really have a positive impact on a youngster’s literacy development with research indicating benefits on early brain development and later reading success.
“We’re really delighted so far this year with 255 attendees in the first six sessions of January. We want to build on that, get the word out about this valuable program, and encourage more people to come along - we can’t wait to see more families with young ones through our library doors.”
Councillor Swadling said it wasn’t just in our libraries where F5F was making an impact.
“As well as the in-house programming, we’ve also been leading an extensive outreach program, partnering with more than 14 different community organisations to take the F5F message outside the library walls, and into the community,” Cr Swadling said.
“This is a whole family experience with great benefits for the children as well as parents, grandparents and caregivers sharing quality experiences, getting that extra bit of support and learning some great ideas to take home.”
A new video was launched this week to help parents understand the importance of their role. Check it out on our Facebook page Lively Libraries.
Find out more about F5F at Rockhampton Regional Libraries by calling 4936 8043 or dropping into one of our library branches to grab our January – July Program. Please click here for the program.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLen17eUnSYFsEFOzT-7lLVOShdwR2AxWs