Research on a book gifting service, where children aged 0 – 4 receive free books at home every month
The challenge: Having books in the home can help improve language and literacy abilities of children. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to them.
What we’re doing about it
Better Start Bradford teamed up with the Imagination Library to create Better Start Imagine. This was started by country singer Dolly Parton. Families that live in Bowling and Barkerend, Little Horton, and Bradford Moor can sign up. They then receive a free book every month, delivered to their doorstep.
BHT Early Education and Training also provide wrap-around sessions for the book gifting service. This includes story telling, rhyme time sessions, and baby signing sessions, and help for parents, so they can get the best out of the books they receive.
Findings
Better Start Imagine has sent over 65,000 books to around 2,600 children. Over 600 children have attended story telling sessions. Families have reported greatly enjoying the books and using them with their families during wrap-around sessions and at home.
Future plans
The programme will continue to run with BHT’s wrap-around sessions. We’re also examining the data we have on the project to look at the effects of the project on children’s school-entry language and literacy outcomes.
Project summary written by Rachael Cheung
the Better Start Bradford Innovation Hub 
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