Funding Needed to Preserve Vital Storybook Sessions at University of Reading

Children in Whitley Wood are learning about the joy of reading and improving their literacy skills thanks to storybook sessions run by researchers from the Institute of Education at the University of Reading.

The Whitley Wood Playgroup provides free weekly storytelling and play sessions for families with children aged 0-4 in the Whitley Wood Area. Designed by early literacy experts and teachers, storybook sessions are integrated into the playgroup in order to expose toddlers to the enjoyment of reading. The sessions have filled a major gap in provision for families left by the pandemic, with many parents reporting it as the only free early years activity available to them locally.

The sessions involve a short children’s storybook being read twice – once at the start, and once at the end. In between the readings, children are encouraged to engage with activities that connect to the story. Free copies of the book are handed out at the end of the session.

Funded by Research England and Friends of Reading, the sessions began in November 2023. Attendance grew rapidly and now as many as 16 families make use of the sessions every week. Friendships have blossomed between both parents and between children, with noticeable improvements in children’s enthusiasm towards books and reading. As research shows, such early shared reading activities strongly predict later literacy and overall academic achievement.

With research funding for the Playgroup set to expire in April, the scheme is now at risk of closure. Local families stand to lose this vital community resource and their only nearby early years provision. Without continued community funding, Whitley Wood may have no early literacy support groups catering for its many young families.

Elli Walker, a University of Reading research assistant who helped set up the scheme, said: “It would be heartbreaking if these sessions ended when they are having such a positive impact. We urgently need community funding to continue this invaluable resource into the next year.

“We have gained excellent momentum with the project now and we have seen friendships develop between the adults and children over the past few months. Parents have started expressing positive changes to their children’s enthusiasm and interest towards books and reading. It would feel like a tragedy for the sessions to end.”