Young Readers Program

The Young Readers Program is a partnership between the State Library of Victoria, the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the Municipal Association of Victoria. 

Part of the A$2.1 million Victorian Government initiative to encourage Victorian families and care givers to read to their children, this program brings together maternal and child health nurses, early childhood workers and Victorian children’s public librarians to promote the pleasure of reading with children.

Program objectives

The Young Readers Program will:

• promote the importance of reading to young children
• provide professional development for Victorian Maternal & Child Health services workers, early childhood workers and children’s public librarians
• promote family involvement in young children’s literacy development through reading with their children
• promote the involvement of community support in helping families and care givers value literacy and reading for pleasure
• increase access to books for families and care givers with young children
• improve literacy outcomes in Victorian children
• support Australian children’s literature.

What will the program deliver? 

The Young Readers Program will provide:

• a 'rhyme time' booklet and DVD to every four-month-old child when they visit their local public library or Maternal and Child Health centre
• an Australian picture book to every child in Victoria at their two-year-old Maternal and Child Health visit 
• professional development across regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne for early-literacy professionals working with young children
• early-literacy materials, links and information
• information about how to support adult literacy.

Find out about more about the professional development workshops >

How are the books chosen?

All books in the Young Readers Program are selected by a reference group using the following criteria. They must:

• appeal to children and parents from diverse cultural backgrounds
• stimulate children’s imagination
• give emphasis to repetition and rhythm for language development
• be written and illustrated by Australian authors and illustrators.

What is the State Library of Victoria's role?

The State Library will:

• coordinate the selection and distribution of approximately 52,000 Australian picture books and 70,000 Rhyme Time booklets to 824 maternal child health centres and public libraries in Victoria 
• facilitate professional development sessions across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria
• provide online access to information about the program and related support materials, including adult literacy information
• coordinate and roll out the Young Readers Program for its duration. 

The Young Readers Program will run from March 2008 to April 2011.

For more information and inquiries about the program call 03 8664 7551.