A PROGRAM to inspire vulnerable children in the South Gippsland region to expand their reading has officially rolled out.
Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS) has introduced the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to the region to deliver books monthly to children aged 0-5 years.
The Imagination Library is a free book gifting program supporting vulnerable or high-risk families with high-quality, age-appropriate books sent monthly in the mail.
The program also provides tip sheets for parents or caregivers to help them enhance book time at home.
Within the first few weeks, seven children from the South Gippsland area have signed on to the program and numbers are expected to grow. The children will continue to receive monthly books until they turn 5-years-old.
GSHS allied health staff and the paediatric team have developed inclusion criteria and are working with maternal child health nurses, supported playgroup facilitators and midwives to identify and refer appropriate children into the program. GSHS is also supporting South Gippsland Supported Playgroups with books to model to parents how to get the most out of book time in the community.
GSHS Allied Health Manager Sara Mullery said there had been some fantastic outcomes from the Imagination Library in other regions and she expected great results for South Gippsland.
“There is strong evidence of this program improving the quality and enjoyment around book time and longer-term positive outcomes around literacy, language, attachment and confidence,” she said.
GSHS will collect data at key milestones throughout the project to demonstrate its positive impact for the South Gippsland community.
The program is funded by GSHS along with key community fundraisers including Freemasons, South Gippsland Shire Council, Uncle Bobs Club, Koringal Women’s Service Club, KCDA, Lyrebird
Auxiliary and the Korumburra Lions. The Outtrim Masonic Lodge recently supported the launch with a $5000 donation to the library.
United Way Australia coordinates the program in Australia and will mail the books to children registered in South Gippsland. More than one million books have been sent to Australian children over the past decade.
