By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
IT’S being referred to as Doveton’s reading revolution.
A report released in November has indicated the Doveton and Eumemmerring children involved in United Way’s recent early literacy program are now twice as likely to ask to be read to by their parents compared to a year ago.
The report, compiled by United Way Australia, was released last month.
It comes after a 2012 Australian Early Development Census revealed 18.3 per cent of five-year-olds starting school in Doveton and Eumemmerring were “developmentally vulnerable” when it came to language skills – almost three times the national average of 6.8 per cent.
In 2013 United Way – in conjunction with Doveton College, Doveton Library, Good Beginnings and Monash Health – launched a program which organised for monthly book deliveries to the homes of local children, aged from birth until five-years-old.
United Way Community Impact Co-ordinator Marina Savron said the project had now proven to be of enormous benefit to the Doveton community.
“What we’re seeing after just 18 months of collaboration in Doveton and Eumemmerring is a positive feedback loop of young kids asking to be read to, parents reading more, attitudes shifting and on it goes,” Marina said.
“We’re tremendously encouraged by these early results involving hundreds of Doveton and Eumemmerring children and believe these suburbs are now on track to halving the percentage of children who commence school developmentally vulnerable in the language domain by 2018.”
Ms Savron said children are more likely to start school ready to read if they have a positive association with books, if parents read regularly with them, and if they engage in reading activities outside the home as well.
The Doveton program is expected to involve an extra 100 children next year, with additional public reading activities planned for 2015.
For more information, visit www.unitedway.com.au.
