Overview

The Read 4 Tomorrow project builds capacity within a Koori community (Erambie Mission, Cowra, NSW) and assesses community engagement in early childhood literacies.

Impact statement

Expectations of Koori children’s reading outcomes are raised:

• Former prime minster Gillard noted the improved English literacy outcomes at one Cowra school with a 20% Koori student population since the predecessor to the Read 4 Tomorrow program, Read With Me, commenced in 2009.
• Feedback from another school in Cowra is that the children from families who participate in the Read 4 Tomorrow program are demonstrating outstanding reading performance on Kindergarten benchmark testing.

All but a few of Cowra/Erambie’s Koori community have attended at least one Read With Me workshop. Highlights of the program include.

• 2009 - 150 Kooris attended the first workshop
• 2010 - 168 children read more than 4100 books in 20 weeks
• 2011/12 - 625 parents attended 38 workshops (100 parents were expected to attend)
• 2013 - In 6 months 425 parents, 360 community members and 162 non-Kooris attended 25 workshops on digital literacy and reading development (300 parents and 180 community members were expected to attend the workshops).