Bookstart, BookTrust

Organization name

BookTrust

Organization address

BookTrust, G8 Battersea Studios, 80 Silverthorne Road, Battersea, London SW8 3HE

Goal/objective

BookTrust is dedicated to getting children reading. We get children reading in lots of different ways, but our priority is to get more children excited about books, rhymes and stories – because if reading is fun, children will want to do it. We run nationwide programmes – like our flagship programme Bookstart. We reach millions of families across the country each year with books, resources and advice to encourage parents and carers to start reading with their babies right from the beginning.

Organization contact

Position of contact person

Organization website

https://www.booktrust.org.uk

Organization type

National reading promotion organization

How many staff does your organization employ?

80

Programme name

Bookstart Baby.

Country/Province/City where the programme takes place

England and Wales.

Year started

1992

Programme goal/objective

To enable every mum, dad and carer in England to inspire a love of books, stories and rhymes in babies, aged 0-12 months.

Funding sources

Arts Council England (government budget) Significant discount from publishers Local authorities pay for storage within local authorities and the onward delivery to professionals who give the packs to families.

Geographic coverage

Available to every baby aged 0-12 months in England and Wales.

Not for profit?

Not for profit.

Religious or political purpose?

Neither.

Is your programme model consistent across your geographic area, or are there regional differences?

Not fully consistent. Each of the 152 local authorities are responsible for the delivery of the programme within their local authorities and so it can differ in terms of which professionals give out the packs and when they give them out to families.

What are the contents of your gifting pack?

· Envelope with activities to cut out inside. · One picture book. · One parental guidance booklet.

Is your programme offered free of charge to all families?

Yes.

What are your primary `points of contact` with the population you serve? (i.e your local programme partners.)

Library, School, nurseries, childminders.

Who gifts/hands-out your pack to families?

Librarians, nursery school staff.

Does your programme uses volunteers?

N/A.

Is the programme universal or targeted?

Universal.

How many children does your programme serve a year?

Every child aged 3-4 in England.

At what age/gifting period do children receive your programme?

2-4 years.

Does your program include provisions or resources for children with special needs?

Yes. Booktouch Toddler for 3-5 year olds who are visually impaired. Bookshine Toddler for 3-5 year olds who are deaf. Bookstart Star. For children aged approximately 3-5 who have complex needs and/or fine motor skill delays. Special packs are designed for these groups of children that are suited to their particular needs, e.g. tailored guidance and the books are tactile and interactive.

What language populations does your programme serve?

We provide dual language books and guidance to local authorities to give to families that do not have English as an additional language. We offer these in over 20 of the most popular languages. https://www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/programmes-and-campaigns/bookstart/practitioners/additional-offers/dual-language-books/ E.g. Romanian, Welsh, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Italian, Albanian, Arabic, Polish, Slovak, Lithunian, Portuguese, Bengali, Czech, French, Punjabi, Russian, Urdu.

Have you conducted programme evaluation or research (including longitudinal)? If yes, has this evaluation/research been published?

Yes, please see https://www.booktrust.org.uk/search/?q=&type=All&sortOption=MostRecent&pageNo=1&cat=446,373#!?q=&type=All&sortOption=Relevance&pageNo=1&cat=446,373.