Happy Birthday...2,700 times!
From Press office on 03 February 2010
Solihull Registration Services record the birth of around 2,700 children each year, which is a lot of birthdays, and from this month every newborn in the borough will have the chance to give their literacy skills a head start.
As part of a new partnership between Bookstart and the borough’s Registration Services, registrars in Solihull and Chelmsley Wood will be giving out a Bookstart Birth Congratulations card to each family, celebrating their new arrival.
The Bookstart cards give families information about the free Bookstart book packs available for all children in Solihull under the age of five.
There are three packs available; the Bookstart bag for children at 9 months, Bookstart Plus for 2 year olds and the Treasure Chest for 3-4 year olds, all of which are available from libraries, Health Visitors, Children’s Centres and many nurseries.
There are also special packs for children with a visual impairment and those with a hearing impairment, as well as books in dual languages.
Each Bookstart pack contains two books suitable for the age, rhymes or drawing materials, recommended books (including a £1 voucher in the two older packs), tips on book sharing and an invitation to join the public library.
Bookstart is a national programme that encourages parents and families to share books and rhymes with their children from the earliest age. Research shows that when children are read to frequently and at an early age, they have a head start in literacy, numeracy and science, and are more developed socially, emotionally and in their speech and language.
Solihull Libraries has a range of activities for under-fives, from story and rhyme times to family learning activities with rhyme, music and even pottery. Children can join in the Bookstart Book Crawl to collect stickers on each visit that they can then exchange for attractive illustrated certificates and extra rewards.
For more information, contact the Solihull Bookstart team on 0121 704 6984 or click here. For national information about the Bookstart scheme, click here.
For media enquiries only, contact Dave Musson on 0121 704 6136
Email: dmusson@solihull.gov.uk