Bookstart Corner

Bookstart Corner supports settings across England to help families that need extra help to develop a love of stories, books and rhymes.

Aimed at families with children aged 12-24 months, the programme allows settings to offer intensive support for parents and carers so that they can read together for pleasure with their children with confidence.

Free resources for families and professionals

All settings that sign up will receive a number of free resources to use to help them build on the work already carried out with families. Each setting also receives either 10, 25, 50 or 100 packs, containing two picture books and guidance materials, to gift to families.

Settings that sign up for 25, 50 or 100 packs will also receive additional resources for their centre including posters and a Rhyme Challenge pack.

Here's what one practitioner says about delivering Bookstart Corner in her setting:

‘We have found it a very successful, non-threatening, fun activity in which both parents and children can gain many different skills. It has highlighted to parents how much children can benefit from reading stories, listening to rhymes and being involved in singing. It is also an opportunity to discuss school readiness with parents.’ (Rebecca Biggs, Family Support Worker, Northamptonshire Children's Centres)

Registration for Bookstart Corner 2018-19 is now open

To register your children's centre (or centres) and receive your free resources, just click on the button below and log in using the username and password that have been sent to you by BookTrust.

Register for Bookstart Corner 2018-19

If you haven't received your username and password, please email bookstartcorner@booktrust.org.uk and we'll be happy to help. If you have any problems registering, please use our step-by-step registration guide, or email us at the address above.

If you have already registered and completed the online quiz, please log in using the grey tab at the top of this page to access information on the resources you will receive, session ideas for home visits, key messaging and much more.

If you would like to get involved in Bookstart Corner and you aren't already receiving emails from us, please contact bookstartcorner@booktrust.org.uk and we'll make sure you're on the mailing list.

Benefits of gifting Bookstart Corner

Gifting Bookstart Corner through your setting will contribute to the work you do by:

Engaging and building relationships with families, particularly those who are hard to reach

• ‘It just works so well. We use it as a hook to get families to engage more fully with the children's centre.’ (Bookstart Corner coordinator)
• ‘Bookstart is a great way to engage hard to reach families that don't access the children centre as it is non-threatening and there are incentives each week, e.g. puppets. It also allows us to build up relationships and trust with the family. We usually find that families will begin to use the centre after the course.’ (Bookstart Corner coordinator)
• 'Bookstart corner has enabled us to engage some of our most vulnerable families and children and support them with their child's learning, as well as, engaging them [with] other services/activities that improve their outcomes as a family.’ (Bookstart Corner coordinator)

Increasing parents’ and carers' understanding of the importance of sharing books, stories and rhymes

• 85% of practitioners reported that all or most parents and carers are more aware of the importance of sharing books, stories and rhymes
• ‘At the start of the session most of them were unaware of how they can support their child's learning. By the end of the fourth session most parents were aware of the skills and were more confident to play and engage in their child's play as a normal daily experience.’ (Bookstart Corner coordinator)

Supporting parents and carers to increase their confidence and skills in booksharing

• Parents and carers improved their booksharing skills. Parents or carers were twice as likely to say they used puppets and toys to act out stories with their child (from 33% before to 65% after), and more likely to ask questions when reading together (from 68% before to 89% after)
• 76% of practitioners said Bookstart Corner that all or most parents or carers were more confident about reading with their child after taking part in the programme
• It has taught me a lot. Before I didn’t know how to introduce my child to any books or know any rhymes.’ (Parent/carer)
• ‘Mum lacks confidence in her own ability, however over the weeks with encouragement she can do it and for the first time on the last visit mum read some books with me supporting her. Mum struggles with long words, however she did really well.' (Practitioner)

Supporting families to develop regular reading routines with their children

• 73% of practitioners reported that all or most parents and carers are more motivated to share books, stories and rhymes regularly with children as a result of Bookstart Corner
• 'Parents report [a] change in [their] bedtime / settling routine which used to be watching [a] DVD and now they read two stories with him.’ (Practitioner)

Bringing children and families together around books and stories

• 68% of practitioners report that all or most parents and carers spent more quality time with their child as a result of the programme, with a further 31% reporting this for some families
• "It has made us realise it is fun to share books together.” (Parent/carer)

Engaging families with libraries and other local services

• 31% of parents and carers joined the library for their child after taking part in Bookstart Corner, and 29% had visited for the first time after completing the programme
• ‘We have several families in our reach who have engaged with services after taking part in Bookstart Corner - from joining parenting programmes, taking part in local play to learn groups to taking up 2-year funded childcare sessions. Bookstart is such a positive programme without judgement that it makes it a joy to deliver to families and makes families secure in the knowledge they are positively contributing to their children's development.’ (Bookstart Corner coordinator)
• 'As a result of the Bookstart programme we have been able to take families to the library, become members and start accessing on a regular basis.’ (Bookstart Corner coordinator)

Please note that books contained within the packs may differ from those pictured.