Maryborough’s T L Stone Kindergarten has been participating in a book gifting program for two years.

“Our book gifting program includes an activity to encourage language and early literacy development with participation from the whole family and to make reading fun,” shared the team at the kinder.

Book Gifting and Lending Library programs take place in 31 Y Kinders across Victoria and is supported with School Readiness Funding. Nearly 7,000 books have already been distributed. These benefit children’s language and early literacy development and encourage families to read effectively with their child.

Families who don’t normally have access to quality books are given free books and supporting resources, aimed at connecting early literacy learning between the service and the home environment. Linking in families early contributes to a culture of learning and through the sharing of books can provide times of connection and positive associations with reading.

Kindergartens report that the books often have a much wider impact, being passed on to siblings and other families in the community to be enjoyed for years to come.