How Better Beginnings Began and Continues to Grow
Better Beginnings was first launched in 2004 as a pilot run in partnership with 11 local government communities and public libraries. Funding and support for the first year pilot came from the local governments onboard, the Government’s Early Years Strategy, the WA Local Governments Association and the Department of Culture and the Arts.
The State Library of WA played the key role in developing the materials to support this first roll out of Better Beginnings and other resources and training support for our community partners. Further funding from Lottery-west enabled the State Library to purchase and develop the Story-time Toolboxes for the participating public libraries.
Further funding from the Edith Cowan University Industry Collaboration Scheme ensured that a robust evaluation of the pilot of Better Beginnings could be completed. This evaluation was key to our successful bid to the Rio Tinto’s WA Future Fund and the State Government to fund the roll out of Better Beginnings statewide for a further four years, up to June 2009.
This significant funding support has enabled the State Library of WA to further develop the successful Better Beginnings strategies trialed in the pilot.
Since the pilot, Better Beginnings has reached almost 45,000 families of new born babies. There are now 91 local governments participating - 64 regional and remote communities and 27 metropolitan communities. The entire Pilbara region is participating and over 90 per cent of metropolitan Perth communities are engaged.
In 2005 and 2006, participating libraries conducted 624 baby rhyme sessions involving 8,096 parents, carers and babies and held 265 information sessions for 1,468 parents. More than 230 outreach visits to child-care centres, playgroups and community health centres were conducted with 1,355 children and carers taking part.
During 2007, Better Beginnings expects to reach the families of more than 22,000 new babies – more than 81 per cent of babies born in the State. We thank and acknowledge the vital role and commitment of Local Governments and their public library networks and Child Community Health Nurses in reaching out to new parents in their communities.