OREANDA-NEWS. The most comprehensive family literacy programme in Australia, the State Library of Western Australia’s highly acclaimed Better Beginnings partnership, has been renewed with Rio Tinto contributing \$980,000 for a further four years.

Rio Tinto chief executive Iron Ore, China, Korea and Japan Andrew Harding and Western Australian Minister for Culture and the Arts the Hon John Day announced the extension today.

“For Rio Tinto, Better Beginnings is a treasured partnership.  It has brought books into the homes of all Western Australian families so children can experience the joy of reading from their very first days of life,” Mr Harding said.

“It has also reinforced the important role that reading plays in early childhood development, while helping parents and children bond.”

Since the partnership was established in 2005, Rio Tinto has committed more than \$1.8 million to the programme, with this current investment bringing the total to \$2.78 million by 2018.

The programme has had a significant impact with more than 450,000 Western Australian families participating, representing 96 per cent of new-borns, 85 per cent of kindergarten students and 138 remote Aboriginal communities.

The funding partnership will allow the programme to build on its success in the following ways: 

  • Engage families with a child aged 2-3 years. This will provide a connection with families after the initial birth pack providing more resources, more often, in the first few critical years of life.
  • Engage Aboriginal families in metropolitan areas experiencing social isolation from mainstream community services; building on the Read to Me, I Love It remote community resources.
  • Work in partnership with services targeting disadvantage families, including Child and Parent Centres, the Department of Child Protection and Family Support and Corrective Services as well as migration agencies and child care facilities delivery to extend delivery of literacy resources.

The State Library’s partnership with Rio Tinto has received a number of awards including the Strengthening Families and Communities category award in the 2013 Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Public Sector Management.

Better Beginnings reaches over 60,000 families each year throughout Western Australia from Wyndham to Esperance.

The programme is also supported by State Government funding, including through Royalties for Regions and Western Australian local governments.