List of international affiliates

The success of Bookstart has inspired many similar schemes around the globe, from Japan to Canada, from New Zealand to Uganda.

Find out more about each scheme below.

APEI, Portugal

APEI promotes the love for books, to promote the reading habit in the family context, provide moments of encounter and affection between parents and children, promote the arrival of school students with appetite for books and reading habits. Also providing opportunities to raise awareness about these issues among parents and technicians. Our programme is design to provide book-gifting to all new born babies in the moment of civil registration (done at the public maternities and hospital – Born Citizen Programme) and at public libraries to babies and children up to 6 years old. We expect that our strategy for book-gifting can permit that each children in Portugal can get 3 to 4 gifted books in the first 6 years of life (public health services, schools, childcare and education services, local authorities, and civil society can provide the gifting by becoming partners of Crescer a Ler Programme).

Read to Me! Canada

Read to Me! is a provincial, hospital-based program that was established in 2002 to help families enrich their child’s early years with books and reading. We present parents with a bright yellow bag of books and literacy resources at the hospital bedside within 24 hours of the birth of their baby. The program is delivered at 11 hospitals in Nova Scotia that offer maternity services, reaching all 10,000 babies born in the province each year. The Read to Me! program is delivered by a team of over 100 volunteers and hospital staff across the province.

 

Buchstart (Hamburg)

Since January 2007 Buchstart Hamburg has been gifting book packs to babies throughout the city. Supported by the City of Hamburg, the Gruner+Jahr publishing house and a number of other companies and charitable foundations, the programme distributes the packs via paediatrician practices. The packs include two picture books, a parental reading guide in German, Turkish, English and Dari, a library voucher and further local information for parents and babies. The packs are handed out at a routine health check to babies aged 10 - 12 months. Around 92 - 95% of eligible children receive packs at these checks, a total of around 18,000 per year. Buchstart Hamburg is scheduled to run for a minimum of six years and is accompanied by an extensive evaluation scheme carried out by researchers from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. The first results have been encouraging and can be downloaded from the project website, which also offers general information, an international nursery rhyme library, further downloads and TV and radio footage.

Website: www.buchstart-hamburg.de [email for newsletter: info@buchstart-hamburg.de]

Bookstart Japan

Bookstart in Japan was launched in 2000 and the programme has been spreading rapidly across the country since then. Bookstart is carried out in 37% of all local authorities ( 669 out of 1810 ) as of August 2008 and more than 400,000 babies will receive Bookstart packs in 2008. Most of the Bookstart packs are gifted at 0 year old baby's health check-ups, which is a part of public service and most babies take, and every baby born in the local authorities is targeted. Each scheme is administrated by a local working group whose members are local librarians, health professionals and local volunteers. When gifting the pack, they talk about the joy of sharing books with babies and actually share and enjoy a book with them, which encourages parents and carers to try it soon at home.

The funding for the Bookstart schemes comes mainly from the local government. Bookstart in Japan is administrated by a non profit organization "Bookstart Japan", which organizes workshops, seminars and conferences about Bookstart for those involved in the programme at local and national level. Bookstart Japan publishes newsletters and handbooks which are aimed to share Bookstart practices and experience between schemes. Bookstart Japan also produces quality Bookstart packs at low cost and sell them to local schemes.

Bookstart was warmly welcomed and accepted by Japanese people from the beginning and more and more people have discovered the importance and the joy of sharing books with babies.

website: http://www.bookstart.net/ download: Introduction to Bookstart Japan (pdf 1.9Mb)

Bookstart Thailand

In 2004/2005 Bookstart Thailand reached 1,200 babies aged 4-9 months. The success of the Bookstart Scheme has been recognised by the Thai Government and as a result they plan to deliver ‘Gift Bags' to every newborn starting from July 28th 2005 (The Crown Prince's Birthday). Thailand has approximately 800,000 newborn babies each year, so this will be a magnificent achievement. The gift bag will contain a handbook for parents, a baby book, a plastic book, a lullaby CD, a toy mobile and an intelligent towel. The programme will be managed by the newly established National Institution for Brain-Based Learning.

website: http://www.thaibby.in.th/bookstart.html

Bookstart-Korea

Bookstart-Korea has been gifting book packs to babies since April 2003 in 99 localities (46%) across the country. Bookstart package reaches 120,000 babies each year, and the number is rapidly increasing every year.

The programme currently reaches around 120,000 babies per year via deliveries in public health centres and public libraries, with this number increasing rapidly year-on-year. An additional 'Bookstart Plus' pack aimed at 3-4-year-olds was launched in 2007 and 'Bookstart Treasure Chest' for five and six year olds in 2008. The programme receives funding from local governments and public libraries as well as donations from corporate supporters. The Book Culture Foundation, a national reading charity aimed at promoting reading, administers the programme. Research by Seoul National University evaluated the effect of the programme on child development in 2003 and produced very positive findings. Bookstart-Korea aims to reach every baby born in the country by the year 2013.

website: http://www.bookstart.org/
> read a blog post with updates on the Bookstart programme in Korea (June 2010)

Boekbaby's

Stichting Lezen Flanders, Belgium

Boekbaby's (Bookbabies) has recently started in its pilot phase. Inspired by the UK's Bookstart, the objective is to bring every child and parent into contact with books. Right after birth, but also at later moments in the child's development, young parents will get picture books, information on reading aloud and the library service for free. Boekbaby's expanded the programme to all children born in 20 participating communities. This new programme started in September 2008 and is to reach 4500 children. The local healthcare centres distribute the children's first book pack. Parents will be encouraged to get a second book pack in the local library when their child is 15 months old. Apart from the 20 local communities, there are a number of other libraries which offer Boekbaby's to their visitors. Stichting Lezen provides them with book packs at a low cost. Through these libraries Boekbaby's expects to reach another 2000 children.

website: http://www.stichtinglezen.be/content.aspx?l=009.001

Preparing for Life - Dublin

This programme is due to be launched in April 2007 and will be gifting book packs to babies in the Northside of Dublin city. Run by a local development company, the Northside Partnership, the programme aims to gift a series of book packs to every child in the locality during their pre-school years. Targetting specifically the Northside of the city, the programme is designed to promote children's development in an economically deprived area. The programme is co-funded by national government and philanthropic organisations.

‘Lesestart' Germany

Stiftung Lesen recently announced that they will be launching a new national Bookstart programme in June 2008. Working in association with the many local book gifting projects around Germany, Lesestart will be distributing packs to 500,000 babies via their paediatrician. The packs will consist of a children's illustrated book, a parental guide on reading (translated into Turkish and Russian) and a brochure on recommended children's books by the well-know family magazine "Eltem".

The programme has been inspired by the three-year pilot project "Lesestart - mit Büchern wachsen" launched in 2006 in the Free State of Saxony. Evaluation conducted by the University of Leipzig and Department of Media and Education highlighted the success of the pilot and was a major influence leading to funding for the new national programme.

website: http://www.lesestart-deutschland.de/

Il-Ktieb Tezor - Malta (‘A Book is a Treasure')

Ill-Ktieb is a pilot project which will be launched on World Book Day in Malta on 23 April 2007. The project will be gifting book packs to children aged 2-3 years when their parents register them for school. Funding has been secured from UK publishers, the Merlin Library and local councils in Malta. It is hoped that the programme will reach approximately 4,500 children each year.

Books for Babies

‘Books for Babies' is a programme based in Christchurch, New Zealand. In 2004/2005 the programme reached approximately 5,000 new born babies. Christchurch City Libraries fund the programme. Library staff and Friends of the Library Volunteers administer the packs, with the help of hospital staff and home birth midwives. They have received some wonderful praise from the parents of babies who have received their books.

website: http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Learning/BooksForBabies/

Bookstart (Capel, Australia)

This scheme gifts books to babies in the Greater Bunbury region in Western Australia. Currently, books are gifted to babies between the ages of 7 and 9 months old at information sessions hosted by public libraries with a librarian, child health nurse and a speech pathologist. In the future they are going to gift the books by the Child Health Nurse at the 6-month baby check. Plans for Bookstart are going to be changing in the coming year. From 2005 the state of Western Australia is rolling out the ‘Better Beginnings' programme. This programme is based very closely on Bookstart. By joining this programme, schemes in the greater Bunbury region will no longer have to worry about finding funding, as each local shire council will commit monies annually in return will receive books, bags and a kit to be used in their libraries. This support will be invaluable.

Better Beginnings Family Literature Programme (Australia)

Better beginnings builds on the knowledge that early intervention, parent involvement and support communities play a critical role in the growth and development of young children. Their literacy toolkit contains a quality children's book, a growth chart featuring favourite nursery rhymes, a list of best books and some supporting reading to encourage reading at home. This toolkit is gifted to every baby born in the six communities participating in stage one of the programme in Perth through the community health centres at the baby's six week health check. The parents are also invited to a free rhyme time and story time session at the public library. There is a state-wide expansion of Better Beginnings planned over the next four years which will encourage lifelong literacy links that will connect with families and change young lives.

Great Lakes (Australia)

Bookstart This programme has been gifting book packs to babies throughout the Great Lakes region of New South Wales since August 2006.

Great Lakes Bookstart was initially funded by Friends of the Great Lakes Library Service (FOGLLS) but is now solely funded by the Forster Bowling Club. The packs are distributed by the health visitors during their ‘in-home' consultation with parents shortly after birth their child.

website: http://www.greatlakes.nsw.gov.au/Library/index.htm

Reading for Development Initiative (Nigeria)

Reading for Development has been gifting books and providing support for libraries in schools and colleges since August 2005.

The programme visits libraries in schools across Nigeria to distribute books and also organises an annual book fair for youths and children where every participating youngster has the opportunity of going away with at least a book.

It is estimated that the programme reaches around 500 children each year, mostly in economically deprived areas. The Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation is the parent organisation for the programme. Financial support for the activities of the Foundation is provided by a number of corporate bodies and financial institutions.

website: http://www.readingfordevelopment.org/

Girls Empowered (Uganda)

Girls Empowered has been gifting books to young girls in Uganda since 2003. The programme works from community centres in Kampala, Wakiso, Mityana, Jinja, Bugiri and Mpigi and gifts books to disadvantaged girls, particularly orphans and those that head households. It is estimated that the programme reaches around 150 girls each year. Financial support for Girls Empowered is provided by local associations and churches.

Books for Babies (Newfoundland, Canada)

Since January 1994 Books for Babies has been gifting book packs to babies and toddlers throughout the province of Newfoundland. Book packs are delivered to children at birth and at yearly intervals up to four years old. Supported by the Department of Education (Newfoundland), the programme distributes the packs via hospitals or health visitors for the baby pack and via Family Resource Centres or libraries for the follow-up packs.

In 2006 the programme reached 1,500 newborns which represents a third of all babies born in the province. The follow-up packs were received by approximately 1,000 children at each of the ages. The programme is expected to expand in 2007 to reach around 4,000 babies, which represents 93% of new births.

website: http://www.nald.ca/booksforbabies

123 Read with Me, 123 Lis Avec Moi (Ottawa, Canada)

This is a programme run in Ottawa. In 2004/2005 it gifted books to 8,000 newborn babies through the well baby visits from the public nurses. An external contractor currently staffs the programme, but they will now be hiring a permanent member from the library staff as coordinator of the programme.

Leer en Familia - Colombia (Family Reading)

Leer en Familia has been gifting book packs to babies since April 2003. Run by the reading charity Fundalectura, the programme sells packs to health organisations and libraries, which in turn delivers them free to families.

Most packs are received just after birth or at the age of eight months. Leer en Familia currently reaches around 35,000 children each year, most of which are from low income families.

Fundalectura hopes to extend the reach of Leer en Familia to include public libraries and aims to increase the number of children reached by 5,000 each year.

website: http://www.leerenfamilia.com/

Bookstart in the Falkland Islands

Bookstart in the Falkland Islands is a small scheme, which gifts Bookstart packs to babies at their 8-month check up, and Bookstart+ packs at their two-year check up. They have gifted 60 packs since October 2004. A local company who pays for the Bookstart packs sponsors the scheme and the Falkland Island Government pays for the boxes to be shipped to the Falklands. They are hoping to extend books within the community. In the meantime, they are raising the profile of reading to children by operating a book redistribution service to ensure children have access to books in all waiting rooms, with their child minder and in nurseries.

 

These are only a selection of schemes that are operating abroad. We are also in contact with an International Kindergarten in Budapest who will be running Bookstart Bookcrawl in their new library from September.

Ron Bailey, National Programs Director for Reach Out and Read USA visited Bookstart UK in August 2005 to discuss the progress of the scheme. The scheme is still a great success in the USA and they are working hard to extend the reach of the scheme. He was delighted to see the new Bookstart+ and Bookstart Treasure Chests, and brought along useful catalogues containing lists of the books given out to babies in the schemes catchment areas.

Bookstart comes to Boston on National Bookstart Day

Click here to read about what happened on National Bookstart Day all the way over in America