Busselton’s The People Place holds special story time to celebrate 10th anniversary of Paint the Town REaD

Members of a Busselton playgroup were recently treated to a special storytime as part of a milestone for a literacy initiative. Children attending The People Place community centre on Kent Street received a visit from Barney the Barn Owl as part of the 10th anniversary of Paint the Town REaD in WA. The grassroots reading program was started in 1998 by the principal of a primary school in regional NSW who was concerned by differences in young students’ literacy levels. It has since expanded across the country thanks to the support of 80 community groups, with 500,000 pre-school children benefiting from the initiative. Using a whole-of-community approach, the program encourages people to talk, read, sing, rhyme and play with children every day from birth so they arrive at school ready to learn. Paint the Cape REaD is responsible for running the program in the Busselton area, with Barney helping spread the message at playgroups, community events and schools. It follows a special celebration to celebrate the initiative’s 10 years in WA at Government House in Perth on April 4.