Story Starter Volunteers Make Positive Impact On Local Children's Reading
Find out more about the programme if you are interested in helping
The first trained reading helpers have begun supporting children in Wandsworth nurseries as part of the new Story Starters reading programme. Volunteers from the local community visit schools twice a week to help children aged three to five become 'ready to read'.
Jan Thole (pictured above) is among the first Story Starter reading helpers and has begun working with children at Chesterton Nursery (part of Chesterton School in Dagnall Street) in Wandsworth. Story Starters are upported by Beanstalk, a national children’s literacy charity which recruits, trains and supports volunteers to work one-to-one with children aged 3 to 13 in a variety of ways, with the aim of turning them into confident, passionate and able readers.
Jan supports three children on a one-to-one basis at Chesterton Nursery two times a week for 20 minutes at a time. The sessions are designed to be fun, interactive and hugely beneficial to the children receiving extra support.
She says, “‘I’m delighted to be a part of the first story starters programme in London and so warmly welcomed by Chesterton Nursery and Primary school. As a volunteer I work with three children twice a week. I welcome this opportunity to share my love of books and reading.”
Katherine Williams is the ECAR (from the Every Child A Reader programme) teacher at Chesterton School which currently has ten Beanstalk volunteers who support pupils in Years One to Six with reading. She says, “We are delighted to be able extend this support into our Early Years by welcoming our first Story Starters volunteer, Jan, into our nursery. Jan has quickly become one of our team and a very popular one. It's a joy to see the faces of her three readers light up when she enters the nursery with a selection of beautiful picture books and props under her arm. The rabbit puppet has proved a particular favourite! With Jan, these children are exploring stories and the language used to tell them and are becoming book lovers."
Story Starters is a new collaborative project between children’s literacy charity Beanstalk, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and LuCid (University of Liverpool). It was launched in London last year and aims to give children the support they need to develop their language and reading skills. Research has shown that children who benefit from high-quality support in their early years start school on average three months ahead in their literacy and language skills, compared with children who don’t.
Lindsay Fox is the Area Manager for Beanstalk in London: “Beanstalk is thrilled to have placed our first Story Starter volunteers in Wandsworth. We know how important it is for children in the early years of their education to receive support with their language development, as this enables them to start primary school ready to read and able to thrive. It is really worrying to hear recent figures that the proportion of toddlers being read to every day is in decline - a significant threat to child development. We are now seeking more people to come forward as volunteers. Please get in touch with Beanstalk if you would like to volunteer and change the lives of children in the community.”
Beanstalk works across London to support children with reading. To find out more about becoming a Story Starter reading helper, or to book a place at its next training and selection day in London, please:
· Visit www.storystarters.org.uk
· Call Beanstalk on 0845 450 0307 or
· Email info@beanstalkcharity.org.uk
April 10, 2018