Up to £15 million will be spent helping as many as 300,000 children across England get greater access to books before starting school.
The programme, announced in the Budget, will focus on pre-school children and aims to support communication, confidence and a lasting love of learning. It should also help families with the cost of buying books.
Funding will be delivered by Arts Council England, with more details about the scheme’s design to follow. The plans build on book-gifting work already carried out by organisations including BookTrust and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library UK.
Building reading habits early
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library UK has gifted almost eight million free, age-appropriate books to children under five since launching in 2007. Nearly 100,000 children currently receive a free book each month.
BookTrust reaches 1.4 million children and families each year through free books and early-years resources, working with more than 7,000 partner organisations across the UK.
The government says early access to books can help children develop the skills needed at school. The announcement comes as last year’s 72.3% good-level-of-development figure for children finishing Reception put England on course to beat its 75% school-readiness target by 2028.
The wider package includes the rollout of around 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs, which are working with the National Literacy Trust and BookTrust to encourage shared reading at home.
Why it matters for Britain
For families in England, free books can reduce some early-years costs while giving parents and children more opportunities to read together. The programme also supports communication and confidence before children begin school.
