ONCE upon a time, there was a popular storytime for Whitley Wood youngsters … but it’s under threat of closure unless funding can be found.
The storybook sessions will only be sitting comfortably until next month, and organisers are hoping they can all live happily ever after.
The sessions aim to share the joy of reading and improve literacy skills of children aged four and under.
Designed by early literacy experts and teachers, they are integrated into a playgroup, filling 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.
Currently run by the University of Reading, they see a storybook read twice – at the start, and the end of the session. In between, activities connect to the story.
Free copies are handed out at the end of the session.
Launched in November, the initial sessions have been funded by Research England and Friends of Reading, and are attended by up to 16 families each week.
However the research funding will end in a few weeks, and the scheme is now at risk of closure.
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.”
For more details, log on to: https://research.reading.ac.uk/ready2read/
A fundraising link has been set up at: https://reading.hubbub.net/p/WhitleyWoodPlaygroup/
