How parents can intervene: Active campaigns



READING MAKES FRIENDS, BE FRIENDS WITH BOOKS!



The words of Nelson Mandela "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". During this past week I conducted a survey as well as interviews to parents, to find out how they feel about their childrens education and their commitments to it. An alarming number of 18 out of 20 parents felt that their kidz and teens are not doing well at secondary and tetiary. When I conducted my research , I came across interesting campaigns that are helping parents to intervene in this issue at an early stage.

There are campaigns such as Born to Read, Read to Bond which are taking over, A programme designed to encourage parents to inculcate reading habits in their children at an early age and to promote reading as an activity that bonds a family.

Parents are guided on their child's reading and learning journey even before the child is born. At the libraries, expectant mums or parents of newborns (born from 1 Jan 2007) will receive a package containing a baby journal (which provides parents with spaces to record their child's developmental milestones and also comes with an informational guide on parenting), Audio CD (contains stories, rhymes, poems and instrumental lullabies), height chart (not only providing the height for the child but also recommended reading tips at child’s different development stages) and parenting brochures from Ministry of Community Youth and Sports.

To promote reading as a child-bonding activity for parents with children 0-6 years, care packs are given to expectant parents containing:

• Baby Journal (Journaled milestones & 25-page information guide)
• Baby's First CD (for foetus to enjoy; parents to learn to tell stories, nursery rhymes and lullabies)
• Baby's Height Chart (indicate baby's developmental milestones and appropriate reading)

A nationwide movement to encourage fathers to read to their children on a regular basis was brought to attention. This initiative aimed to increase fathers' involvement in their children's literacy development and to improve the quality of father-child relationships.

A volunteer driven programme, kidsREAD was launched by then DPM Lee Hsien Loong on 23 April 2004. The aim of this nation-wide programme is to reach out to children between the ages of 4 and 8 from the low-income families to promote the love of reading and cultivate good reading habits from young.
Reading Clubs around are establsihed to maintain the eager.

COULD THIS BE THE CATCH...?