BB Plus
Welcome to BB Plus, the exciting extension to Better Beginnings, which is being rolled out in 2010.
The program will be trialled in communities identified by both SLWA and Department of Education and aims to reach 8750 four and five year olds enrolled in kindy and preprimary in 2010.
BB+ will be founded on the existing program’s overarching principles of universal access, building capacity in and engaging the WA community. It will:
- support and involve parents in their children’s early literacy learning and deliver targeted strategies that meet their unique needs;
- establish and extend cross-sectoral collaboration with schools to increase
parents’ skills and confidence, promote school-readiness, connect with families
and assist teachers and other early childhood professionals in their work; - work with Indigenous communities to develop targeted resources and strategies
to meet their unique needs in supporting early literacy; - support Indigenous families of pre-school age children in establishing positive early literacy practices in the home;
- increase children's engagement, understanding, and appreciation of literature in
homes as well as kindergarten and preschool settings; - connect families with schools and teachers to promote early learning;
- nurture a culture of learning by supporting families to fully participate in a literate and technologically-driven society; and
- increase the use and raise the profile of libraries to attract new audiences and
better serve communities.
Program Implementation
- Reading Packs with age-appropriate picture books, audio CDs and supporting
materials to encourage emergent literacy skills of children aged four and five
years to be delivered through kindergartens and pre-schools.
View a booklist and tips for reading with 4 and 5 year olds. - Indigenous Liaison Officer employed to work with relevant agencies and
communities to deliver targeted strategies and resources.
Read further information. - New Arrivals Literacy Pack for families from CALD backgrounds. Delivery and
development in consultation with agencies working with CALD families. - Discovery Backpacks of books, audio CDs, literacy skill development games,
literacy resources for families to borrow from libraries. - Shared Reading and Read Aloud Book Sets at libraries and schools to support joint reading initiatives and promote shared parent and child reading.
- Information Literacy Online Package to introduce pre-school aged children and
their parents to effective and safe online search skills and resources.
