Photo: NorthSide Allied Health

Minister for Early Childhood Education Jenny Mikakos today launched the Premiers’ Reading Challenge for the Early Years, which encourages reading to babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Parents, grandparents, carers, childcare centres and kinders can help children who have not started school complete the challenge by reading 40 books with them before September.

The campaign has been backed by Melbourne Victory striker and father-of-two Besart Berisha, who has been appointed the 2018 ambassador for the Early Years Challenge.

The soccer star – who is also a refugee from Kosovo and can speak four languages – reads as part of his pre-game routine, and has made it his goal to promote the benefits of reading to children at a young age.

Research shows that regular reading with children from the day they are born is a simple way to boost their literacy and numeracy skills, and improve their performance at school and future job prospects.

This year marks the sixth year that the Premiers’ Reading Challenge has included the early years.

More than 8,000 children and families from across Victoria participated in last year’s Premiers’ Reading Challenge for the Early Years.

The challenge will be accompanied by a digital campaign promoting the benefits of books for young kids, including interviews with authors and ideas on great books to share with children.

Children can be registered for the Premiers’ Reading Challenge for the Early Years online or at their early childhood service.

For more information, visit education.vic.gov.au/prc.