National initiative expands with kidsREAD@Home to reach more children from lower-income families
This year marks the 20th anniversary of kidsREAD, a nationwide initiative aimed at cultivating the love of reading among children aged 4 to 8 from less privileged families. Launched in April 2004, nearly 80,000 children have benefitted from the initiative through kidsREAD reading clubs set up across Singapore in preschools, primary schools, community clubs, social service agencies and self-help groups. The National Library Board (NLB) held a celebration today, with Guests-of-Honour President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Ms Jane Ittogi. Hosted by Minister for Digital Development and Information Mrs Josephine Teo, President Tharman and Ms Ittogi were joined by about 200 children, alumni of kidsREAD, donors, partners and volunteers. At the celebratory event, Minister Josephine Teo announced the expansion of kidsREAD with the new kidsREAD@Home programme, which aims to reach more children from lower-income families.
Celebrating 20 Years of Sharing the Joy of Reading
kidsREAD was launched with trained volunteers reading regularly to just about 630 children in 2004. Over the years, kidsREAD has grown significantly with reading clubs around Singapore. As of August 2024, there are about 3,500 children in more than 200 kidsREAD clubs. kidsREAD activities have also been evolving and enhanced to offer more customised learning and topics for different age groups. These include activities for various reading levels on topics such as those in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.). Home activity packs are also provided for parents to read together with their children, with the aim of strengthening parent-child bonds and sustaining the children’s interest in reading.
Through the years, kidsREAD has garnered positive feedback, with children sharing that they enjoyed the sessions and have been reading more since. Volunteers have also observed that the children who have participated in kidsREAD had improved language skills, and became more confident in conversing and sharing their thoughts. Some alumni of kidsREAD have also returned to volunteer and share their joy of reading with others.
kidsREAD@Home to reach more children from lower-income families
With these positive responses garnered from past and present participants and families of kidsREAD, the programme will be expanded through a last-mile initiative, kidsREAD@Home, to bring reading sessions directly to the homes of children who stay in rental flats. For a start, NLB and its partners will aim to reach about 100 children over the next 12 months through kidsREAD@Home. In addition to storytelling sessions, children participating in kidsREAD@Home receive at least two new books every year and are engaged in activities to spark their interest in reading. This enhanced programme is launched after its pilot in 2023 received positive feedback, and benefitted more than 100 children.
NLB will continue to work with community partners to curate regular reading sessions, and welcomes more like-minded partners, donors, volunteers and the community to support these children and families.
NLB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ng Cher Pong, said: “kidsREAD has been helping to make a difference for children from less privileged background, by giving every child the opportunity to discover the joy of reading. The initiative underscores NLB’s commitment to being an Equaliser to bridge societal gaps and empower the community with knowledge. We are grateful for the tremendous and unwavering support from our partners and volunteers who help to bring the joy of reading and learning to thousands of children over the years. With kidsREAD@Home, we want to reach even more children, and create the opportunities for them to also be inspired by the power of reading and learning.”
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About kidsREAD
kidsREAD is a nationwide reading programme aimed at cultivating the love of reading among children aged 4 to 8 who are from less privileged families. Each session spans 1 hour where children are engaged in a fun and interactive programme by trained volunteers weekly.
The children are told stories and are involved in story-related activities that spark their imagination and creativity. The reading experience continues at home, where parents are provided with activity sheets, to encourage engagement with their children. This aims to promote parent-child bonding and help children grow their love for reading.
More information on kidsREAD can be found here.
About National Library Board
The National Library Board (NLB) nurtures Readers for Life, Learning Communities and a Knowledgeable Nation by promoting reading, learning and history through its network of 28 libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore. NLB also forges strategic partnerships that encourage awareness, appreciation and greater discovery of Singapore's history through its rich collections on Singapore and the region.
NLB achieves excellence through innovation, focusing on citizen engagement and co-creation, resource and digital innovation. This creates learning opportunities, greater access to library resources, services, and archival collections, as well as a continual development of innovative library spaces. Established on 1 September 1995 as a statutory board, NLB is under the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI).
For more information, please visit the NLB website, and NLB’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube channels.
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