The Government is supporting children and young people to become active and voracious readers through the Premiers’ Reading Challenge Book Fund which supports our public libraries to purchase books for kids to read and enjoy.
$1.1 million will be invested to help libraries purchase books – as 80th Children’s Book Week celebrations are underway across the state.
The annual Premiers’ Reading Challenge encourages children and young people to read a set number of books and record their efforts online. Since the challenge began in 2005, more than 4.75 million children and young people have turned the pages of more than 65 million books.
Each year, a book list is published as part of the challenge, containing a range of books suited to different reading levels and the fund enables Victoria’s public libraries to purchase many of these books, which are in significant demand.
The fund also leaves a longer-term legacy of replenishing the stock of books in public libraries for children and young people on an annual basis.
Funding will be provided to councils, regional library corporations, Connected Libraries Ltd, Myli – My Community Library Ltd, Your Library Ltd, and Vision Australia to buy books and materials to support the challenge.
More information about the Premiers’ Reading Challenge is available from Department of Education at: vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge.