This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
First chapter of home reading campaign
13/01/2003
The first chapter of a radio and press campaign that aims to encourage more parents to read to their children was opened today.
Education and Young People Minister Cathy Jamieson launched the Home Reading Initiative campaign at Arthurlie Nursery School in Barrhead.
She said:
"Introducing your child to books at an early age is one of the best gifts any parent can give. The reading children do out of school is invaluable in helping them good develop literacy skills for later life. Unfortunately not all children have a positive experience of reading in their early years.
"That is why I am launching a radio and press campaign that aims to make all parents aware of the benefits that reading at home can bring to their children. Great pleasure and happy memories can be the result of sharing a book with a child. Something as simple as sharing stories from the local paper together or reading through the weekly shopping list with your child can be the route to reading regularly."
See enlarged images of advert at bottom of story
A small grant scheme will provide funding to local projects such as book sharing clubs, and to develop more information on reading for parents and carers.
Ms Jamieson continued:
"Some parents may be unsure what to read with their children or worry that they do not have the right books. The small grants scheme will help set up book sharing clubs or early reading projects, for example, in local communities where parents can share resources and experiences of what books their children enjoyed."
Ms Jamieson concluded:
"The world of the written word should be accessible to children across Scotland. We all have a role to play in giving our children the best possible start in life. Reading books and learning from that experience is fundamental to achieving that goal and great fun can be had on the way."
The Scottish Executive Home Reading Initiative is a three year campaign aimed at encouraging children to read more out of the classroom. It is also targeting parents/carers to take a more active role in their child's education and to start reading with them from an early age.
The initiative was launch by Cathy Jamieson on 10 August 2002 and, as well as the advertising campaign, comprises of:
A leaflet for parents, published on 10 August 2002, which gives guidance to parents of children between the ages of 0 to eight on the benefits of home reading and some techniques to make it a more valuable experience;
The Appointment of Reading Champions to encourage parents, carers and children to develop the skills of reading at home.
A small grants scheme which will make funds available from April this year to support small local projects such as book sharing clubs.
A Home Reading Co-ordinators, Fraser Ross Associates appointed 11 December 2002, who will drive forward this Initiative.
A web site which will contain more information to help parents and ideas on
how to develop local projects to support home reading that will be created
by the co-ordinators and will launch early this year.
The advertising campaign will run in two bursts over the next three months. The campaign cost £190,000.
The Home Reading Initiative small grants scheme has been established with funds being made available from the beginning of April. £300,000 will be made available for the purpose of setting up new projects.
The aim of the scheme is to assist early-learning centres, community organisations and groups and schools in setting up projects and schemes that will help to develop the objectives of the Home Reading Initiative.
Bids will be invited for start-up projects that aim to develop the awareness of parents/carers; to increase access to Home Reading facilities such as libraries; to develop schemes such as book-sharing clubs or any for use in other innovative ideas.
The parents leaflet, highlighting the benefits of reading and some techniques to make it a more valuable experience, will soon be available in Gaelic, Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Cantonese and Hindi.
