15,000 packs: Bookstart blooms in Manchester

Bookstart is thriving in Manchester and here at Manchester Libraries we’re really proud to take the lead in delivering a variety of Booktrust programmes and supporting their campaigns. 

Last year we delivered over 15,000 Bookstart Baby, Toddler, Preschooler, and Additional Needs packs and resources to families across the city. 

However even more important is the immeasurable value of getting books into the hands of our young Mancunians at an early age – there is a strong evidence base which shows that reading with children from the earliest age and establishing a regular reading habit impacts on a wide range of outcomes both in the short term and later in life.  

We know that reading helps children to understand language- but did you also know that reading to a small child also improves their well-being, helps them to be calm and supports them in developing emotional connections. This amazing video from Booktrust explains how their research shows the actual impact that reading can have on babies’ brains.  

We want to make sure that every child is “school-ready”, and this process starts from birth. Bookstart is a brilliant resource for families to use to talk to their babies and share books with their child – helping to understand language, developing communications skills and increasing vocabulary is crucial to being school-ready. 

Bookstart in Manchester is a fantastic example of partnership working to ensure that children across the city receive the books and resources. Manchester Libraries work with our Manchester Registrars to gift the Bookstart Baby packs to every Manchester baby at their birth registration session. Surestart Centres across the city engage a range of families within their local communities by delivering the Bookstart Toddler packs. Our colleagues over at RHOSEY (Rodney House Outreach for Early Years) and the Manchester Sensory Support Service help us reach those children with additional needs to gift them specially designed packs which support their requirements.  

The Bookstart Preschooler packs are delivered by Nursery Class teachers in targeted Manchester primary schools. We provide dual language books in over 50 languages gifted alongside these packs, to make book-sharing within families more accessible and relevant.  

We are immensely grateful for our partnership with the Book Trust and we see the positive impact that the project has on children’s lives year after year in our city. A great deal of hard work, planning and co-operation between colleagues and services gets the Bookstart packs and message out to families, and its impact couldn’t be more important. The high quality Booktrust resources are vital in encouraging children to read and visit Manchester Libraries where they can access and borrow (for FREE!) a whole range of books and activities, have fun, be part of their local community, make new friends, get school-ready and more! The Manchester Libraries partnership with Booktrust is hugely successful and has been running for over 25 years- now that is something worth celebrating!