English Cymraeg

Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler Impact Report

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

Research

This page summarises the latest findings from our evaluation of Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler, our programme for children aged 1–4, supporting them to have fun reading and sharing stories with their families.

In 2024–25, we reached 417,438 1–4‑year-olds with our Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler programme (including 313,079 families on low incomes). We worked with over 17,000 early years delivery partners across 7,000 different settings and organisations to do this.

Designed to make a difference

Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler were designed in collaboration with partners and families. They build on strengths and address challenges for families, partners and communities. The diagram below shows the three core components of the Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler programme:

An infographic showing the three core components of the Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler programme, which includes the following text: 1 - Supporting reading behaviour change: Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler spark enthusiasm and build capability. 2 - Strengthening reading support systems around families: We support our partners to make the most of every interaction. 3 - Building sustainable reading eco-systems: We have long-term local authority partnerships and embedded Bookstart Coordinators.

We really enjoy our partnership with BookTrust. We have really developed the way we gift the packs and have some really key partners now gifting packs to families with fantastic events modelling storytelling and using the resources to maximise the impact.
Bookstart Coordinator, London, England

The difference we make

Every year we gather feedback from families through our survey. Between October 2024 and September 2025, we heard from 314 families receiving the programme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In addition, the report includes findings from 456 partners delivering Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler who responded to our BookTrust Partner Survey between February and May 2025.

As a result of the programme, families told us that they:

learnt something new about the different ways to read and share stories with their children (76%)
believed more strongly in the benefits of reading for their children (71%)
felt more confident reading and sharing books and stories (69%)
had tried to set up a reading routine at home (55%)
had been prompted to read or share books and stories more with their children (76%).

The programme felt like a helpful toolkit for making reading time more engaging and meaningful. I enjoyed using the various tips and materials provided, such as suggestions for expressive reading and ideas for involving my child in the storytelling process. These tools made reading sessions more interactive, and I could see my child becoming more interested in stories.
Parent or carer on a lower income receiving Bookstart Pre-schooler, South West England

And our early years delivery partners told us that the programme helped them to engage families with reading (96%), and that BookTrust supports their organisation’s objectives (89%).

Without BookTrust we wouldn’t have been able to provide books to children of low-income families and encourage them to begin reading. BookTrust are essential for this and their provisions are quite literally life-changing. We support families who don’t have money to buy clothes for their children, what hope do they have of buying books for them to read otherwise?
BookTrust delivery partner working at a charity, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Northern Ireland

Read the latest report

Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler Impact Report 2024–25

PDF | 6.8 MB

Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler Impact Report 2024–25 in Welsh

PDF | 9.2 MB

Cite: BookTrust (2025) Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler Impact Report 2024–25. Leeds: BookTrust

Supporting the National Year of Reading 2026

17 October 2025

BookTrust is delighted to be leading the early years element of the National Year of Reading. We will leverage our early years programmes (including Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler), our deep expertise and insights, and our fantastic and unique national network of delivery and publishing partners to support early years families’ reading through and beyond 2026.

Read our previous reports