Two of our team have just returned from a jam-packed field trip to Napranum and Mornington Island, in Queensland.
Leonie Short, Program Manager and Cindy Manfong, Program Coordinator headed north in mid-September to visit the Early Learning Centres (ELCs) in these remote communities with the aim of finding out how ILF might best be able to support their current and upcoming programs for preschoolers.
Both communities have been receiving gifted books through our Book Supply program for some time, and wanted to further build their relationships with our Foundation.
There are 45 children aged three to five years are currently enrolled at the ELC at Napranum, a small community in south Weipa, on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula.
“The ELC at Napranum is well established,” Leonie explains, “and the community there is very keen to see an expanded delivery of Book Buzz, and maybe begin work on some translations of popular picture books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Where’s Spot? into Thanikwithi, the first language of many of the kids there.”
The Early Childhood educators and community members at Napranum are also hoping to produce a children’s songbook in Thanikwithi, as one of our Community Literacy Projects in the future.
On Mornington Island, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, the ELC is currently going through a rejuvenation period, with classrooms being spruced up and new bookshelves built. There are 40 kids are enrolled in the program here, mostly three and four year-olds.
“At the moment, the need on Mornington is mostly for culturally appropriate books for the children as well as our Book Buzz resource kits for the teachers,” says Leonie.
We’re really excited about our new connections with both these Queensland communities, and look forward to working with them to ensure the preschoolers, be they at Napranum or on Mornington Island, have those all-important pre-literacy skills to ensure the best possible start when they enrol in “big school”.
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation works as an initiative of the Australian Book Industry with the support of:
The
Indigenous Literacy Foundation is registered with the ACNC and is a Public Benevolent Institution with DGR1 and TCC status.
ABN 45146631843.
Copyright © 2024 Indigenous Literacy Foundation · Privacy & Security Statement
