The project “3MR – making the most of the magic of reading” aims to increase the early literacy skills of children, especially those from culturally less advantaged backgrounds, by preparing professionals involved in early childhood education and parents to engage in reading aloud to children and in book-sharing practices in order to reduce the literacy gap among children from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
Children who are more proficient in comprehension and reading and spelling skills read more; because of more print exposure, their comprehension and reading and spelling skills improve more with each year of education.
– Mol & Bus, 2011
The Aim
of the project
In disadvantaged families, parents tend to read less, possess fewer books and undervalue the value of reading to children, than in families that foster literacy practices. This sociocultural gap in early literacy practices impairs school achievement.
A gap which is currently not being filled during early childhood education, but it should as it can prevent later school failure.
That’s why it is important to train various kinds of professionals working with little children from disadvantaged background in ready aloud practices as well as in engaging the children’s parents.
GET INVOLVED!
Are you an…
Early childhood education and care professional
Volunteer working with young children
Student in educational science/teacher in training
Social worker working with disadvantaged families
Paediatrician
Librarian
Speech therapist
Other kind of professional who works with young children (0-7) from disadvantaged families
…and do you want to know more about the project, about reading aloud practices with children or doing a training to develop skills in reading aloud as well as including the children’s’ parents in order to increase early literacy?
General objectives
Improve capacity to support young children’s emergent literacy skills which will have a positive impact on their cognitive development
Empower parents to improve the home literate environment
Promote social inclusion and compensate the effects of the low socio-economic status of families through reducing the literacy gap and reading aloud quality books to young children in a pleasurable manner.
Specific objectives
Develop a training programme
for early childhood professionals to master reading picture books aloud to children in a highly attractive manner, while also modelling this reading to the children’s parents
Test the training programme
on a variety of ECEC professionals (kindergarten teachers, nursery nurses, student teachers) and on volunteers in the four partner countries
Equip ECEC professionals and parents with freely accessible appropriate toolkits
so provide guidance for how to read aloud to young children and infants and how to ensure a literate learning environment at home and at nursery/kindergarten/preschool care centres
Raise awareness
of ECEC professionals, teacher trainers, librarians, education decision-makers, NGOs and others of the importance of reading aloud to children and infants to order to give them a good start in literacy skills development.