Reading out of Poverty

Reading Out of Poverty is a non-profit organisation that supports children and families in the pre-literacy and early learning stage of development. Established in Melbourne, with the support of volunteers and community partners we provide early literacy programs that aim to promote a love for and habit of reading. Children need to engage in reading activities from birth so that they develop the literacy skills they need to succeed at school. Children who do not have this critical foundation will quickly fall behind and lose confidence in the classroom. For many of these children, they may never catch up which directly impacts life outcomes.

 

We focus on children who are at high risk of developing poor literacy and numeracy skills and low-level educational outcomes from an early age including refugee, migrant and indigenous children.

 

Our organisation establishes unique partnerships with parents and carers, pre-schools, community hubs and centres, health and welfare centres, migrant groups, government housing estates and Indigenous Cooperatives to develop essential early literacy and language skills in children from disadvantaged backgrounds where illiteracy is common. We are committed to seeing cultural change in attitudes towards reading in early childhood.

 

Mission

Reading out of Poverty is focused on developing the early literacy skills of Melbourne’s most disadvantaged children including those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, new migrant families, refugee and Indigenous backgrounds. Our primary purpose is to provide a strong foundation for children to learn to read so that they can succeed in education, reach their full potential and contribute to their community and the world.