Introduction members

Early Years Bookgifting programmes, with a health sector lead or partnership, developed in the early 1990s in the USA and UK. In the UK this was BookTrust’s Bookstart programme, which also included key library partnerships. Bookstart spread to Europe and East Asia after the year 2000. At that time early years bookgifting programmes developed in Canada, Australia and elsewhere. European organisations met through EU Read; also through occasional conferences by EU Read members in the UK and in Germany; and we aligned more globally through BookTrust’s previous Bookstart Affiliate scheme. There is strong awareness of the value of sharing experience as peers – to foster innovation, excellence and resilience. These organisations have also helped advise nations beginning new programmes – which has been taking place across Nordic, Baltic and Central European countries from 2015. All this has led to this new initiative to share globally, using the digital opportunities now available to us – and in due course we hope also to meet in person.

Programme Eligibility Criteria – programmes wishing to join are required to meet the following criteria:

• The programme promotes shared reading and/or reading aloud to parents and carers
• The programme provides new books (not used) which are carefully curated, and developmentally appropriate
• The programme provides its books and materials free to families
• The programme must be ‘at scale’ – city-wide or larger
• The programme is informed by good quality evidence and includes evaluation and review
• The programme is not-for-profit
• The programme does not have a political or religious purpose

The Network supports the following values:

• Universality – Where possible the programme should be delivered universally to all children within the programme’s catchment group, inclusive of all socio-economic, geographic and special needs groups. The Network also supports targeted programmes which provide special support and outreach efforts for remote communities or children with unique needs.
• Working in Partnership – The programme is usually delivered by a network of partners with a shared commitment to supporting early reading promotion.  These partners may include health professionals, librarians and other Early Years practitioners, including trained volunteers. Where possible these partners gift the book(s) in person, encourage regular shared reading, and have been trained to model reading aloud or shared reading for the parents and carers.
• Promoting a positive reading culture in the home – The programme does not teach reading or the mechanics of reading but motivates parents and caregivers to read to, and share books with babies in a non-didactic way.  These fun and loving early experiences will help to nurture a lifelong love of reading, and children will come to connect the joy of reading with their positive early experiences with books.
• Bonding and Attachment – The programme should encourage positive engagement, connection and interaction around books and reading to support bonding and attachment and nurture healthy emotional development
• Emergent Literacy – The programme helps nurture emergent ‘literacy’ skills.

Working Group

The Working Group for the network is made up of the following members: Carol McDougall (Read to Me! – Nova Scotia), Daan Beeke/Marijke Bos (Stichting Lezen – Netherlands), Emmi Jäkkö (Lukukeskus – Finnish Reading Centre), Izumi Satou (Bookstart Japan), Julia Norrish (Book Dash – South Africa), Lotte Baert (Iedereen Leest – Flanders), Peter Jenkins (BookTrust – UK), Sabine Bonewitz (Stiftung Lesen & EU Read – Germany).

How to join the Network

Organisations can apply to join the network, using an application form. The individual member pages give you the basic outline of this form. The applications are assessed by the Working Group.

If you have any questions regarding the network, or would like an application form, please contact peter.jenkins@booktrust.org.uk.