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 & Child Health Nurses, early childhood workers and Victorian childrens 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 Nurses, children’s librarians, early childhood professionals and childcare staff
• promote family involvement in young children’s literacy development through reading together
• 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 & 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:

• focus on the reading process and literacy, including the interactions that engage children and parents in the development of early literacy
• provide strategies for engaging local communities
• provide more information about the Young Readers Program content
• provide discussion opportunities to propose strategies around adult literacy issues
• encourage networking and interactions between professionals in the community who have a common vested interest in the development of early literacy.

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

For more information and inquiries about the program call 03 8664 7058.