Joint media release
Shadow Minister for Education, Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Angie Bell MP
An elected Dutton Coalition Government will commit $3.8 million to establish the ‘Ready to Read’ program, an initiative to support early childhood literacy and ensure children have the best start to their education.
At full implementation, the program is expected to benefit 12,500 children under five years of age in targeted areas, providing one book per month to support early literacy development.
Shadow Education Minister Sarah Henderson said research shows children who are not read to at home are six times more likely to face developmental challenges in areas such as language and cognitive skills.
“Ready to Read will empower Australian parents to undertake shared reading at home, helping build essential literacy skills from a young age,” Senator Henderson said.
“Learning to count, read, and write starts long before school years.
“The Ready to Read program will back parents, making it easier for children to read at home by delivering a new book each month directly to their home.”
The program, based on the Imagination Library initiative of the Dolly Parton Foundation, is licensed to United Way Australia and has already been taken up or trialled in around 450 communities.
United Way will recommend rollout areas in consultation with the Department of Education, focusing on communities experiencing disadvantage and where local libraries can be active partners.
Parents and caregivers are critical to the success of the program. Australian research shows compared to children not on the program, those enrolled in the Imagination Library programs are significantly more likely to be read to four or more days a week.
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education Angie Bell said children will be voluntarily registered through the maternal and child health system and connected to a local library, which will facilitate the program.
“This program is about giving children the tools to succeed while also helping families during tough times,” Ms Bell said.
“With cost-of-living pressures increasing, this initiative provides new books before children start school and encourages greater engagement with local libraries.”
A back-to-basics approach for education is part of the Coalition’s plan to get the country back on track.