Building Bridges, Making Friendships Co-producing Useful Learning about Our Project and Our Work with Families Craigmillar Books for Babies

Founded in 1998 at a community wide literacy conference, the project offers families from birth resources and events that support children’s early learning, development and friendships.

Providing Opportunity for Local Wisdom and Creativity to Shine: Myra Robertson Baby Book of the Year Katie Bairdie Scottish Rhymes Collaboration with Itchy Coo Scottish Songs CD with Ewan McVicar

What We Set Out To Do Engage families in an empowering process that captures the breadth and depth of views about Craigmillar Books for Babies and the project’s on-going role supporting families to take up reading and engagement with books as a creative, affirming activity.

How we did it The evaluation built upon the mixed method strategy used in previous evaluations: a supported survey of parents of children aged 2, 3 and 5. consultation with area professionals with whom the project works to promote interagency cooperation review of the project’s documentation an arts based family scrap book activity which enabled children to directly tell us about their experience of Craigmillar Books for Babies activities.

What We Found Most parents report reading with their children at least once a day, however the time this fits into their routine varies, with bedtime being one of a range of times. Parents reported that reading is often a family wide activity with older siblings, mums and dads and grandparents reading or being read to.

Parents of children now in primary one report that Books for Babies resources and programmes have helped their children come to school with confidence to learn and helped them build relationships with peers, though the degree to which they felt this to be the case varied. A review of the projects’ consultation documentation provides detailed evidence of the support parents appreciate from the project. Parents also appreciate the opportunity to “give back”; which they have been able to do through the volunteer opportunities the project has developed.

A Closer Look at the Figures 1997 (42) 2002 (46) 2005 (73) 2009 (37) 2012 (52) Uptake of use of resources 34%67%88%95%96% Event Attendance NA 45%65% Uptake of Book Crawl Programme NA 24%38% Family library use 27%50%72%60%49%

Comparisons Across the UK 2009 (37) 2012 (52) National Evaluation 2009 (54/384)* Uptake of use of resources 95%96%61/83% Family library use60%49%26/55% Event Attendance65% 11/43%

Craigmill ar 2009 Craigmil lar 2012 Nationall y Engaged Nationall y Less Engaged Multiple Times Throughout the Day 65% 55% 37%7% Once a day14% 37% 46%30% At least once a day (79%)(92%)(83%)37% Less Frequently14% 8% 14%(38%)

Making Meaning 1997 (42) 2002 (46) 2005 (73) 2009 (37) 2012 (52) Relating children’s experience to reading NA74%88%97%94% Relating reading to children’s experience NA61%72%81%96%

Why this is Important From telling and retelling stories we create possible learning selves. (Carr, M. and Lee, W. 2012) Learning identities and the dreams, hopes and fears enfolded within them begin from birth.

Responses We tell stories from our head using our imaginations. I tell stories from my childhood, stories my mum told me that she heard from my grandmother. They love a bedtime book. I tell Goldilocks with their name in place of Goldilocks. He turns pages backwards and forwards and relates to different parts of story and feels the textures.

Yes she is very interested in knowing things and names them. She asks lots of questions like ‘what is this mum’? Yes he does with the duck story he thinks the mum is looking for her babies and he'll talk about that. He has a vivid imagination. He generally follows the story and then makes up his own wee bit.

Literacy integrated into every day family practices:... if I'm reading a newspaper she'll come over and look at it or pick out a picture and ask about it. She likes to sit and listen to her big sister Isobelle reading. She claps when she finished, it helps her older sister confidence come on.... he reads first thing in the morning with mum then when his dad comes in at teatime he reads with him. Then he reads with dad at bedtime. He sees me right through the day

Learning to ask the Right Questions Survey Questions Based on Original BookStart Survey: When does he/she look at books? – Where? with Whom? Where does your child have access to books at home? National Evaluation Questions: How often do you or your partner read to your child/children under 4? What is your attitude towards reading with your baby/toddler?

Consider how this question takes a more respectful stance towards parents: How do books fit into your daily routine? (2012 Survey Question)

Is bed time the right time? In changing the question we noticed: Parents talked much more about interaction across the day and with the family as a whole Some families specified they don’t read at bedtime.

Story Pockets: A Way for Families to tell their Own Learning Journey Story. Families given a three panel card folder with pockets, art materials and small notebook that fits within one of the pockets. Families who have previously developed one talk to other parents about how they have used it. Workshop time with arts materials provided for families to decorate panels after rhyme time sessions.

Time taken at Rhyme Time sessions throughout the year for parents to share how their story pocket is developing. During evaluation families give researcher a tour of their story pocket which is video recorded.

Families use the pockets to draw, stick and paint playful extensions of rhymes, stories and other experiences to record special events like going to the zoo which draw on themes also explored in books and rhyme time sessions to keep photos of children’s engagement with Books for Babies such as when their birthday is celebrated at a rhyme time session. to record special moments when children ask questions, make connections and improvise their own meanings.

Pockets provide opportunity for early collaboration between parent and child. Depicting a fish together. Using eye stickers to place the fish

Example of Child’s Use of Storypockets to re-imagine learning identity and creativity. Trying further materials to depict a story of fish. Poppy Cat stickers used to represent a class of mice.

Final Thoughts Despite cut backs in voluntary sector and local authority services, local families are increasingly taking up opportunities to give children a positive introduction to books. Given space and resources families take a creative, multi-sensory approach to engaging their children in learning. Co-production methodologies have successfully given evaluation great depth and insight into children’s early start to learning and the ways families support this.

References Bookstart 2009 Bookstart National Impact Evaluation, on line at: (accessed 15 June 2009). Carr, M and Lee, W. (2012) Learning Stories: Constructing Learner Identities in Early Education, London: Sage. National Centre for Research in Children's Literature Evaluation of the Bookstart Programme. London: Booktrust. The Scottish Government (2010) A Guide to Implementing Getting it right for every child: Messages from pathfinders and learning partners. Scottish Literacy Commission (2009) A Vision for Scotland: The Report and Final Recommendations of the Literacy Commission December 2009.

Thank you for your interest in our study.