| Programme name | Country | Date of information |
| Read to Me | Canada | June 17, 2019 |
| Question | Answer |
| About the Organisation | |
| Organisation name | Read to Me |
| Organisation address | IWK Health Centre, PO Box 9700 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3K 6R8 |
| Goal/objective | To motivate and empower every family in Nova Scotia to read, talk and sing with their baby. To advocate for and promote early literacy in Nova Scotia. |
| Contact Person | Nancy Edgar |
| Position of Contact Person | Program Manager |
| Contact email | |
| Contact Telephone Number | |
| Organisation website | readtome.ca |
| Organisation type | Provincial early reading promotion program |
| How many staff does your organisation employ? | 2 full-time staff, 3 part-time staff |
| About the Programme | |
| Basic details | |
| Programme name | Read to Me |
| Country/Province/City where the programme takes place | Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Year started | 2002 |
| Funding sources | Endowment (made up of contributions from Federal Government, Provincial Governments, foundations, corporations and individuals) |
| Geographic coverage | Province (delivered at every hospital in the province that provides maternal newborn services) |
| Are you involved in any other comparable networks? | Canadian Health Network for Early Literacy (for individuals and programs that support early literacy in healthcare settings) |
| Purpose of the programme | |
| Not for profit? | Yes |
| Religious or political purpose? | No |
| Local consistency of model | |
| Is your programme model consistent across your geographic area, or are there regional differences? | Consistent |
| Book Packs | |
| What are the contents of your gifting pack? | The contents of the English Read to Me bag are: a) Babies Love Books parent guide (month by month parent guide with information on how, what and when to read to babies in the first 18 months, updated every 2 years, available for sale to programs from Nimbus Publishing) b) Information on the Public Library and acoupon to receive another free Read to Me book at the library c) 50 Best Books for Babies booklet (lists best books for 0-2, updated every two years– for sale to programs from Nimbus Publishing) d) two developmentally appropriate board books – new selections made every two years (2019/2020 titles – Here Babies There Babies, by Nancy Cohen, illustrated by Carmen Mok, and Look at Me, Baby’s First Book of Faces, Silver Dolphin Books). The contents of the Chinese, Arabic, French and Mi’kmaq bags include similar resources in the respective languages |
| Is your programme offered free of charge to all families? | Yes |
| Partnerships and Delivery | |
| What are your primary ‘points of contact’ with the population you serve? | Hospital |
| Who gifts/hands-out your pack to families/? | Healthcare workers, early literacy specialists, volunteers |
| Please list your other programme partnerships . | a) Nova Scotia Provincial Library (the Provincial Library pays for shipping of books across the province) b) Public Libraries (provide a third free Read to Me book when parents register their baby for a library card, they re-inforce the Read to Me message in their baby programs) c) Nova Scotia Department of Health and Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (work with Read to Me to strengthen the early literacy continuum from birth to school entry) |
| If your programme uses volunteers, please give some more details. | Volunteers in some hospitals deliver the bag to new familiesvolunteers assemble gift bags at the provincial office |
| Audience | |
| Is the programme universal or targeted? | Universal |
| How many children does your programme serve a year? | Approx. 10,000 per year |
| At what age/gifting period do children receive your programme. | The Read to Me bag is delivered within 24 hours of birth of baby |
| Diversity provision | |
| Does your program include provisions or resources for children with special needs? | Yes, books in braille, and signing books |
| What language populations does your programme serve? | Complete Read to Me bags are provided in: a) English b) French c) Arabic d) Chinese e) Mi’kmaq. As well we provide dual language books in approximately 15 other languages which can be gifted with an English bag |
| Evaluation and research | |
| Have you conducted programme evaluation or research (including longitudinal)? If yes, has this evaluation/research been published? | Uptake study, conducted in 2006-2008 “Newborn literacy program effective in increasing maternal engagement in literacy activities: an observational cohort study – BMC Pediatrics 2012, 12:100” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3426472/ 2010 Survey: Early Childhood Literacy Programs in Canada: A National Survey http://www.en.copian.ca/library/research/early_childhood/early_childhood.pdf |
Videos
Videos and Powerpoints
11 June 2019 launch meeting – Multilingual provision and Diversity
June 2019 – Multilingual provision and Diversity
- Carol McDougall: Read to me! Nova Scotia – ‘Addressing the language needs of First Nations communities. Nurturing new generations of Mi’kmaq speakers.’
Feb 2020 – Maternity hospital and Health Clinic bookgifting
Shanda LaRamee-Jones: Read to Me, Nova Scotia – Delivering a Bookgift Program at the Hospital Bedside
Feb 2020 – Maternity hospital and Health Clinic bookgifting
- Shanda LaRamee-Jones: Read to Me, Nova Scotia – Delivering a Bookgift Program at the Hospital Bedside
19 Nov 2020 meeting – Book Selection
Nancy Edgar: Read to Me, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Nancy Edgar: Read to Me, Nova Scotia, Canada – Selecting Books for A Newborn Book Gifting Program