Rotorua Trust funding of $8,000 for a Books for Babies programme aims to encourage parents to hold children when reading stories.
Books for Babies is a national programme run by the Storytime Foundation, and the Rotorua project is being implemented by two community groups, one which is health care provider TipuOra.
Clinical Manager Sonia Rapana, who is a registered nurse, says the Books for Babies programme fits perfectly with the core business of TipuOra.
A key focus of TipuOra
is promoting parent-child attachment and bonding interaction and engagement through its comprehensive programmes including: Well Child/TamarikiOra, Midwifery, Parents as First Teachers (PAFT) and Family Start.
“Our core business and target population is around babiesfrom prenatal to five years, so initiatives such as this fit nicely into the broader determinants of health.”
On being approached by the Storytime Foundation, TipuOra saw that the families it worked with daily were the families this important initiative focused on.
“We can offer it to families and foster the opportunity to have books in their homes which contributes to positive health and social outcomes ”.
A key element of the programme is it supports families to develop secure, positive and loving relationships with their children, with bonding and attachment developed through parents and caregivers reading books
from infancy.
The delivery of the books is tied into regular health check-ups under the Well Child TamarikiOra national programme, which is offered free and is universally available to all babies up to four years of age.
“So the family’s time isn’t being interrupted by health services, and it fits alongside other programmes we have to support parents to be the best parents they can be for their children.”
Under the programme, parents learn about cuddling babies to read to them and to set aside time for reading.
“It’s far-reaching in terms of the long-term effects of the child having time with their parent but also fostering their curiosity for the world around them and normalising reading in the home.”
For more Information contact:
TipuOra
07 348 2400
Head Office
16-26 Houkotuku Street
Rotorua 3010
tipuora.org.nz