Preschoolers in the Taree area are 350 books richer thanks to a generous donation through the Share-A-Book program.
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This National Literacy and Numeracy Week (August 29 to September 4), preschool children in the Taree area will receive donated by NGM Group (Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent) employees.
The organisation's employees banded together in support of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation's (ALNF) Share-A-Book Program, an initiative that provides new and quality pre-loved books to Indigenous, refugee and marginalised communities across Australia.
The donation comes as data released from the 2023 NAPLAN results showed students from non-urban areas, Indigenous heritage and lower socio-educational backgrounds continue to require more concentrated support when it comes to literacy and numeracy
Greater Charitable Foundation executive officer, Anne Long, said that literacy skills open doors in life that all children should be able to enjoy, regardless of their circumstances.
"Engaging with books from a young age can set the trajectory of a child's literacy engagement and development for life. Every little one deserves to develop strong literacy life-skills, not to mention the magic of finding a favourite story or book!
"We hope the children can find laughter and enjoyment from these books, helping to sow the seeds for a lifetime of reading.
"Among the books donated, I saw some of my favourite titles from when I used to read to my kids, like Spot and Wombat Stew, as well as some amazing books by Indigenous authors like Gumbaynggirr artist Melissa Greenwood," Ms Long said.
The Greater Charitable Foundation's support of ALNF in the Taree region dates back to 2019, during which time the Foundation supported ALNF's work providing training, support and mentoring through their Early Language and Literacy Program. The 2023 partnership will enable ALNF to offer the program to at least 40 educators working across 15 learning sites in Taree and the nearby towns of Old Bar, Nabiac and Coolongolook.
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