Global Network For Early Years > Lukukeskus, Finnish Reading Centre > Lukukeskus, Finnish Reading Centre

Lukukeskus, Finnish Reading Centre

Helsinki, Finland

Programme name

Lukulahja lapsell

Country

Finland

Date of information

December 26th 2025

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Organization name

Lukukeskus – The Finnish Reading Center

Organization address

Linnunlauluntie 7, 00530 Helsinki, Finland

Goal/objective

Reading for a better world. The Finnish Reading Center promotes reading, literacy and literature

Organization contact

Emmi Jäkkö

Position of contact person

Director

Organization website

www.lukukeskus.fi

Organization type

NGO

How many staff does your organization employ?

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

Basic details

Programme name

Lukulahja lapsell

Country/Province/City where the programme takes place

Finland

Year started

2019

Programme goal/objective

Book bag for every baby born in Finland. Increasing early reading in families with babies.

Funding sources

The Finnish Parliament since 2022; The Finnish Cultural Foundation 2019-2022.

Geographic coverage

National campaign in Finland.

Purpose of the programme

Not for profit?

Non profit.

Religious or political purpose?

None.

Local consistency of model

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

Consistent.

Book Packs

What are the contents of your gifting pack?

In book bag: Rhyming book for babies with info texts for parents, Bedtime story book for toddlers, height chart with info on childs verbal development and facts about reading, and invitation to library.

Is your programme offered free of charge to all families?

Yes.

Partnerships and Delivery

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

Maternal and child health clinics.

Who gifts/hands-out your pack to families?

Healthcare workers.

Does your programme uses volunteers?

Unknown

Audience

Is the programme universal or targeted?

The same book bag is given for every baby in Finland.

How many children does your programme serve a year?

45000

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

Prenatal, Birth – 6 months, 6 – 12 months.

Diversity provision

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

No.

What language populations does your programme serve?

Book bags in Finnish and Swedish; occasionally (e. g. 2019-2021) in Sami languages (official languages in Finland), Arabic, Somali, Russian and Estonian. Info materials available in addition in Albanian, Dari, Persian (Farsi), Chinese, Kurdish (Kurmanji and Sorani), French, Turkish, Ukranian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Spanish, Russian, Estonian, and English.

Evaluation and research

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

We are conducting evaluation and research throughout the program. First survey was made before the program started; the second two years after launching the program. In 2025, the second impact study after starting the program was conducted. The data is published in luelapselle.fi. The latest impact study results: https://luelapselle.fi/the-book-bag-impact-study-2025/

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