engage the family to engage the child: involving families in the bookstart gifting process

Engage the family to engage the child:Involving families in the Bookstart gifting process.

Welcome and Agenda

• Bookstart programme development updates

• Coffee break

• National Bookstart Week

• Good Practice Case Studies

• Break outs and sharing best practice

• Lunch

• External Speaker from Fatherhood Institute

• Break outs and feedback

Coordinators only: Programme Updates

New Envelopes and Guidance Booklets

New Additional Needs Pack Envelopes

Read every day resources

“It has really helped me because I didn't know that

babies at this small age would like stories. Now I know because my baby loves listening to them.”

(Parent)

“I have been working with a family where the parents are both teenagers. In an attempt to engage the young father before his baby was born, I gave him the Bookstart 'baby’s first shapes' book and explained to him how he could share it with his new son right from the start.

“I talked about how babies like to look at the black and white shapes and the faces in the book. His attitude at the time was 'what a load of rubbish' and I went away fully expecting the book to go straight in the bin.

“However next time we met, after the baby had been born, he greeted me with great excitement. He had kept the book and was now sharing it with his new son. He told me how his son liked the black spiral best and would stare at it for ages in wonder. I then watched as Dad weaved his finger round the spiral, gently telling his baby it was a round, round worm.

“It was so lovely to see the affection between father and son, smiling and responding together.”

Black and white booklet case study

New Bookstart Library Offer

Bear’s Reading Adventure

Bookstart Coordinator Breakouts

Sharing Experiences:

Opportunity to discuss feedback, best practice, challenges and anything

you would like more guidance on about the

Bookstart programmes.

Gifting and messaging:

Who gifts Bookstart packs? When do they

gift? How do they gift? What messaging do

they deliver as part of this?

Coffee/Tea break and arrival of other delegates

#bookstart @booktrust

Welcome and Agenda

• Bookstart programme development updates

• Coffee break

• National Bookstart Week

• Good Practice Case Studies

• Break outs and sharing best practice

• Lunch

• External Speaker from Fatherhood Institute

• Break outs and feedback

Book Trust – leading reading charity

Website updates

New concise and family-friendly ‘About Bookstart’ area

Browsable database of board and picture books

Three more storybooks and

a game now on mobile

Simplified process for a more useful events area

National Bookstart Week 2015


• 409,222 Rumble in the Jungle booklets to 2,331 settings, compared with 383,228 Super Duck booklets to 1,917 settings in 2014.

• Over 48,000 children and 34,500 adults attended an event

“I look forward to this celebration each year -

quality resources that are much appreciated & an

ideal opportunity to reinforce a love of reading

&the wonderful work Bookstart does”

Librarian, West Midlands

“NBW gives me a great opportunity to re-emphasise the Bookstart message, ensure any new library staff are aware of the wonderful resources available &

are raising awareness for families visiting our libraries”

Bookstart Coordinator, South West


“All parents we spoke to loved the theme & thought

that it really encouraged them & their little ones to get

involved. Many parents were more aware of Bookstart & the messages it seeks to

deliver as a result of NBW.”

Bookstart Coordinator, South West

“I have been reading the book to my child, and imitating animal

sounds. I am really pleased because my child has been

copying me”.”

Parent, West Midlands



• The theme was extremely popular because it was easy to operationalise, inclusive & accessible

• Nearly 100% used the printed resources & found them useful

• Resources were perceived as “high quality”, “colourful”, “accessible”, “age appropriate”, “interactive” & had a positive impact on the families and staff

• 65% used the website during NBW

• Colouring in Sheets and Rhyme Sheets were the most popular online resources

• 54% signposted parents to the online resources

• 99% thought the Jungle theme was ‘very good’ or ‘good’, compared with 88% in 2014

And the theme for 2016 is….


Under the Sea!

Programme updates – Corner

• New envelope to replace the Corner bag.

• Brand new book title – Funny Face Sunny Face


• After listening to feedback we have changed the amount of resources centres can order to 10, 25, 50 or 100.

• During the first week of opening over 15,500 packs were ordered.

• As of last week, we have allocated just over 39,200 of the 75,000 packs available.


• This year we are also trialling Bookstart Corner in other settings.

• We are working with– Housing associations– Family Nurse Partnership– Traveller support– Military bases – Specialist Heath Visitors– Community centres– And others

• This small pilot will be running until March.

Bookstart Corner case study

Modu and Halima supported by Sarah

Case study from ‘The Family Experience of Bookstart Corner –

An Evaluation of Bookstart Corner’The Centre for Research in Education

and Educational Technology, The Open University

Introducing Modu & Halima

Modu

Modu who was 2 years 4 months, lived alone with his mum. He did not show great interest in engaging with books with his mum and therefore would be left to his own devices.

Halima

Halima was eager to receive Bookstart Corner visits as Modu was not responsive to her efforts to engage him in reading and writing.

Halima wanted another person’s perspective on how she was currently supporting her sons learning.

The Home Visits

• Halima and Modu received three home visits, with the final session taking place in the local library.

• At the beginning of the programme, Halima took a step back from the activities, leaving the room during part of the first visit and observing the practitioner in the second visit

• Sarah felt Halima was feeling under pressure to ensure her son was cooperative and offered Halima regular reassurance.

“I explained again that this was OK and that

eventually he would choose to come to look, as he was interested as he kept looking towards our direction.” (Sarah’s notes after the first visit)

Engaging Halima

• Sarah’s patient approach was quickly picked up by Halima.

• Halima noted how this approach had impacted Modu in a positive way and she was now becoming more involved in the sessions.

• The flexibility of the programme made Halima feel at ease as her schedule often meant a visit may not have been possible that week.

• The sessions allowed for a positive parent and practitioner relationship to develop.

• This new relationship provided Sarah with a platform to suggest home learning environment improvements without seeming judgmental.

“The visits were non intrusive and I wish Sarah could come back every week” (Halima)

Impact of the sessions

• The final visit to the library was very useful for Halima. She had joined during the visit and had taken Modu there again.

• The influence Bookstart Corner had on both parent and child had gone beyond the areas of early reading and literacy development. She felt they were now playing together more constructively.

• The way Modu communicated with Halima also improved and he was much more responsive when she called his name.

Impact of the sessions“The programme has

given me the confidence to start

just doing things with him, things that he

likes.” (Halima)

• Halima became more relaxed with her son’s behaviour and knew he would eventually take an interest in the activities she was trying to engage him in.

• Halima lacked confidence when interacting with her son and appreciated the ideas the Bookstart Corner sessions had given her.

• Sarah’s personal support had encouraged Halima to use the children’s centre and was now attending other sessions.

Upcoming research and evaluation:The role of the Bookstart Baby gifting process in supporting shared reading

The aim of this research is to further develop our understanding of the different mechanisms through which Bookstart Baby results in behaviour change for families, related to sharing books. In short; find out more about what works for whom, and in what contexts?

Evaluation of the additional needs packs – Bookshine, Booktouch and Bookstart Star The aims of this evaluation are to:• enhance our understanding of the benefits of reading for pleasure for children

with additional needs• enhance our understanding of how our additional needs resources are used

assess the impact that our additional needs resources have on the children who receive them.

Engaging Parents and Carers in Gifting Bookstart

Ice Breaker

If I gave a Bookstart pack

to a family I would…..

•85% of hard-to-reach parents feel more confident about reading (Bookstart Corner)

•71% from poorer backgrounds read books more often with their children (Bookstart Corner)

•Over 80% of parents who use our reading advice find it useful (Baby/Treasure /Corner)

•More than 50% of families who are not already members join libraries (Bookstart Treasure/Baby)

•31% joined the library for their child for the first time and 17% undertook a course at their children’s centre (Bookstart Corner)

SheffieldGrand finale in the Sheffield Peace GardensInformation on the event

The workshops included:• A story telling session with the

author Andrew Weale reading ‘A Quiet Day In the Jungle’

• A rhyme session with a local musician performing rhymes from the jungle rhyme sheet

• Book sharing area in library outreach van, with a picnic blanket for overspill onto the grass:– Book sharing– Voting for your favourite

Sheffield Baby Book Award title– Rumble In the Jungle booklets

to take away

SheffieldInformation on the event

• ‘Let’s go exploring’ trail of paw prints through the Peace Gardens which led to the Central Children’s library

• Den making, spy glasses and board books about mini beasts - to encourage families to look for insects

• Activity areas – crocodile castanets, elephant and lion mask making

• Play Session under the parachute – noises and actions (making it fun)

• Zebra and pelican crossing workshop with the Road safety team

Engagement and targeting

Sheffield

• Event promoted through multiple channels

• Posters and flyers distributed around Children’s Centres and other Early Years settings

• Easily accessible location - attracts through traffic and ideal for engaging families who don’t normally access library service

• The library outreach van• Partners

“It was a good event to showcase libraries and the Bookstart project in Sheffield. It was very visual event, with a huge number of children and their families and carers there – it demonstrates how we target borrowers of all ages including the very young –

they are our future.”

BournemouthWriggle and Rhyme on Bournemouth BeachInformation on the event

• Recreated and scaled up a regular Wriggle and rhyme session on the beach

• Adapted the session to go with the theme

• Staff dressed up as tigers and included some jungle themed rhymes alongside the regular favourites

BournemouthEngagement and targeting

• Focus was mainly on general promotion - advertising through libraries to families who already attend wriggle and rhyme sessions

• Also through children’s centres and the local Health Visiting teams - to attract new families

• Information and leaflets were distributed at the event about joining the library and activities at the children’s centre, and children’s centre staff also attended to speak to parents

Bournemouth

• Library services allowing staff time to attend the event and print off publicity

• Bad weather back up facilities

• Strong reciprocal relationships have been fostered over the last 9 years

• Successful partnership working because of shared experiences and attitudes to multi agency/organisation working – they have common aims and audiences and are willing to mutually support each other.

Partnership working

“Because the babies are having such a good time, there must be a vibe that goes through the air.”

GreenwichInformation on the events

• 49 early years settings held special story time sessions involving the parents at pick up

• Rumble at Rhythm & Rhyme session

• Targeted one to one session following a Bookstart Corner session

• Distributed resources through partners to targeted families:- Fostering service

- SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs Information and Advice Support Service)

GreenwichPartnership working• National Bookstart week provided an

opportunity to develop new links with other services:

• “I was able to build on an informal conversation with someone in the fostering service, who had showed interest in our rhythm and rhyme session and materials, because National Bookstart Week was coming up it gave us the opportunity to work with the fostering team around Bookstart and reading every day message”

• The coordinator is running Bookstart gifting sessions with foster families and is now thinking about how to develop further links through the Bookstart programme

“It was a lovely event with a national reach – the message was applied universally yet it could be used to target more vulnerable

families who might struggle with activities we might take for granted. The resources were a fantastic tool to enable that.”

Advice for running events

All events

• Ensure there are a lot different activities and visuals for the very young children and the timings for the activities are planned well

• Publicise the event: Use the Book Trust NBW branded empty belly poster and the Book Trust letter to parents to explain what NBW is and promote understanding of why reading is so beneficial to children

• Work with partners (ideally those who can give ongoing support for continuity):- Ensure that decision makers are

involved if working with partners- Enlist as many staff to help as you

can

Breakout

What experience do you have working with family members other

than mum?

How do you proactively promote services to

Dads, grandparents etc / try to include them in

home visits?

What challenges have you faced when trying to include other members of the family/carers – how

have you overcome them?

Messaging• Sharing books, stories and rhymes is fun

• Read every day with your child/children

• Parents/carers should register their child as a member of the library

• Parents/carers should think about using other services, i.e. children’s centres

• Visit the Bookstart website via the QR code on the back of the booklet

Ways to communicate messaging

Small and large group settings where everyone is gathered together at the same time:

• Direct verbal messaging during a short concise introduction talk around the purpose of the event, followed by positive modelling of fun with rhymes or stories

• Ideal time just before the event starts as families are at their most engaged and receptive

Ways to communicate messagingLarge group settings where families move around between activities:

• Information stands for families to visit

• Informal chats by library staff in particular areas e.g. the story corner area

• Information sheets on the benefits of reading to babies and children that are available to pick up and take away

• A trail for families to follow which leads to a library (or book area etc), to act as a stepping stone between the event and the library

• Reading tree – where children can hang a star (to link in with the summer reading challenge etc)

• Flyers with information on library and children's centre services

Ways to communicate messaging

Busy activity sessions:

• Ideal time to focus on modelling positive behaviours that are fun, reinforcing this through all the activities

• ‘We focused more on giving families a really memorable, fun session that would make them want to come back to the library in future’

Other implicit messaging:• Additional books on display – to

demonstrate to families that books are available to them

• It was all about getting the families to realise, without actually saying so, that this resource is available to them

Treasure giftingKidz Matter, Oldham

“The parents of the Nursery children are invited to attend a short presentation about 'Sharing books with your

child'. The Headteacher also attends the presentation and

welcomes the parents.”

“The child is applauded and a

photograph is taken of each child

receiving their pack.”

“The purpose of this Presentation, and the

attendance of the Headteacher, is to

demonstrate how much value we place on

reading in the Early Years and throughout the

school.”

Treasure giftingPrimary School, Barnsley

“Whenever children see the story it reminds them of

the day when nursery came to see them and how it all started with a book. It places book as a focus of

both enjoyment and learning.”

“The book is on display in the reading corner and the children verbalise the link between home and

school.”“The Treasure Bags have become central to our home visiting over many years.

They provide us with the first book in

nursery.”

Read every day Calendars

“I made a large calendar and used it within the sessions. Parents enjoyed

knowing what would be in each session. With a colleague, we put together a programme which we

evidenced based. We also gave out evaluations at the end of the sessions, tracked the children and now have a 10

week programme we use. Parents shared they enjoy using the calendar at home with their children as they have gained many ideas they can use from

the sessions.”

BreakoutBookstart Treasure:

Do you gift Bookstart Treasure in any different

ways? – in the library? – at home time? – with a parent

one-on-one? – without children present?

What are the challenges for gifting Bookstart Treasure?

Bookstart programmes – Bookstart Corner / Bookstart Baby /

Additional Needs Packs:

How do you effectively communicate messages to families when gifting?

Lunch


Fatherhood Institute

Breakout

What will you do differently to engage

fathers?

What will you continue to do?

Questions and reflections from the

day:

- What worked well? - What didn’t work

well?- What would you

like to see differently next

time?

Any Questions?


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engage the family to engage the child: involving families in the bookstart gifting process

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