Mosman Library service launches new literacy program

The Mosman Library service launched a new early literacy program, ‘1,000 Books Before School’ last week, hoping to boost the development of early literacy skills for local preschool children. 

The program will be of interest to those in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, as it is easily replicable in many places around Australia and the world, and will assist educators to meet a number of obligations under the National Quality Framework. 

As implied by the name, the intention of the program is to have young children exposed to 1,000 picture books in the time before they commence formal schooling. Children are incentivised throughout the process, with a special carry bag when they have read 100 books, to which a milestone patch is added when every 100 books read after that, until the goal of 1,000 books is achieved, a library spokesperson said. 

Books can be read anywhere, including at home, preschool, and the library, and if children average three books a day they will complete the goal in less than a year, the spokesperson added.

Mosman’s Barry O’Keefe Library offers regular literacy boosting activities to help parents and carers to develop children’s early literacy skills, including Babytime and Storytime sessions.

Once a child has a library card, they are afforded free access to thousands of children’s books, unlocking a world of reading. 

For more information about the program, please see here.