Bath & North East Somerset Council is looking to recruit a team of 24 male volunteers to help deliver its new Book Bugs Project, to encourage young boys to develop a love of reading.
Book Bugs is an early years programme linking male volunteers with youngsters in their pre-school, nursery or reception class.
It builds on a successful pilot held last year in Paulton and aims to increase boys’ interest in books and support their early reading skills .
The Book Bugs project is now looking for a team of volunteers to help expand the initiative into Radstock and Keynsham.
Cllr Dine Romero (Lib-Dem, Southdown), the Cabinet Member for Early Years, Children, and Youth, said: “The Book Bugs programme aims to bring male volunteers to preschools and reception classes to be positive role models for reading.
“This should support more boys to become actively interested and engaged in the rich world of imagination and information that books and stories offer, so that they start school already enjoying books and with the determination and confidence to want to learn to read.
“Bath & North East Somerset Council is keen to help boys to develop their reading ability towards the end of their reception year in school. This will enable them to gain the foundation in early literacy skills which they need to help them become confident and enthusiastic readers and writers as they move into Key stage 1.”
Jane Southwell, Book Bugs project leader added: “Schools and nurseries in the area are keen to take part in the project and now we really need male volunteers to come forward and help us make the project work.
“We will offer short, introductory training sessions and access to some great resources from the library service and will then be asking volunteers to commit to visiting an early years setting for one hour a week, to share books with the children.
“Our target is to have 24 volunteers recruited, trained and ready to start visiting by the end of October.
“We’re hoping these weekly visits will help boys to develop a love of reading and increase childrens’ and families’ use of their local library service.”
The Council hopes to recruit enthusiastic Book Bugs volunteers between July and September to begin visiting in October 2014.
To volunteer and for more details on the Book Bugs Project, please contact Jane Southwell at [email protected] or call 07977 228316.