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Ingrid BonBiblioservice Gelderland

Netherlands

Boekenpret (Fun with Books) and Bookstart: The Dutch approach on improving language and reading skills from children 0 – 6 years of age

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History of Boekenpret

• Developed in 92 (same time as Bookstart UK)

• Order by Ministry of Education

• Focus on very young children

• Network programme

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What is Boekenpret ?

Reading and languageskill

stimulating programme for children between 0-6 years of age.

Structural = not a projectLongitudinal = several years

of participation

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Target of Boekenpret

To increase the pleasure in reading of young children and their parents.

Stimulating language skills and preventing to fall behind in language.

Improve the connection to reading education in primary schools.

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Targetgroups

Families (foreign and originally dutch) with little attention and tradition for reading.

Professionals as a skill improving programme.

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How does it work?

Boekenpret is custom made:Every municipality selects its own

activities and materials.Network of several participating

organisations A family approach programme by

schools, healthcare, kindergarten, pre-schools and library.

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Conditions

• Minimum of two age groups

• Working with the proper materials

• Within each agegroup several activities, focussing on children, their parents and professionals

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Courses

• Knowledge of all the materials

• Interactive reading according Taallijn VVE

• Reading routines

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Baby parents

• Collaboration between healthcare centre and library

• Combination of consults, homevisits and coffeetime

• Example behaviour and exchange

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Babies

• Hardboard poster• Special babybooks

(cloth, hardboard, plastic etc)

• Cd with songs

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Babies

• Parent book with TIPS• Available in Dutch,

Arabic and Turkish

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Baby parents

• Get together in the library

• Coffeetime

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The Program (2-6 Years) Consists of Several Items:

• Borrow/lending a book once a week (and take it home so the parents can read to their child)

• 3 times a year a central picture book and its accompanying discover book.

• Stay a night over bear• Everyday the children are read to in an interactive

structure• Library visit on a yearly base• parent participation

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Toddlers

• Library IN the preschool centre

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Toddlers

• Stay a night over bear

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Toddlers

• Library visit

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Toddlers

• Book of books

every book gets a mark by the child: either a sticker with a bear with a smiling face or a bear with a sad face

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Toddlers

• Picture book and accompanying play and discover book

• Dutch, Arabic and Turkish

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1,5 million low literate adults (1 million originally Dutch, 0,5

million foreign with very different background)

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Former Colonies

• Suriname, Antilles, Indonesia, Molukken; have had the Dutch nationality always

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Invited Labourers

• Turkey, Morocco, Spain, former Yugoslavia

• starting point was: working a few years and go back but they stayed and family reunion was introduced. Cling to their culture, religion, have difficulties in accepting the customs of their new country.

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Asylum Seekers

• Afghanistan, Africa, former Yugoslavia, Iran, Iraq

• Often higher educated, eager to learn the language and adapting rather quick.

Example:

Westervoort 16.000 inhabitants (60 countries

represented, 1 Cuba, 1 Greenland, 2 Ghana etc)

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Challenges

Illiterate parents need special support (tell the storyline so they can tell the story by using their own words)

Use whoever you can (imam)

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Costs

• Ministry of Education (via municipalities)

• Every participating organisation pays something (common goal is important)

• Funding for start, implementing in every organisation afterwords

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Effects

• parents show a change in their reading capacities• parents provided reading routines in their families

(and kept them even several years after leaving the program)

• children show a bigger concentration level • reading skills of the children improved• Some parents felt stigmatized• “Library and reading made the difference for me”

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Boekenpret National

• 110 municipalities (32.000 children 2-6)

• Coördination by Biblioservice Gelderland

• National coordinating group (12

Provincial coördinators)

• www.boekenpret.nl

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Again initiated by Ministry of Education, Culture and Welbeing

background

• Readingskills get less

• Use it or loose it

• Balance between television, sports, pc (multitasking), play, reading

• Parents read less: children read less

• Less time for literature at school

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Goals

• Reach every baby age 3 months and up

• Connect baby and their family to library

• Regular users of library and libraryservices

• Spin off: renewed acquaintance with library

• Create special corner in library

• Provide proper babycollection

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Combination with Bookstart

• ALL parents with baby 3 month old

• Invitation from the mayor

• Coupon for free membership of library

• Small suitecase with 2 books, 1 cd with nursery rhymes

• Brochure and bookmark

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Parent/baby corner in Doetinchem

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Tasks library

• Provide good quality babybooks (cloth, plastic, wood)

• Orginaze parent/baby activities

• Connect family to library

• Reach 60% of new born babies and their families

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Effects

UK: ongoing improved schoolresults

Improvement of languageskills

Improvement of “focus” time and concentration

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Thank You for Your Attention