The current view amongst researchers is that a child's success as a reader depends on the learning that takes place in the home before he/she enters school. Some researchers have suggested that parents should begin as soon as possible by introducing books to their babies. Subsequent research into two early interventions, Bookstart and Kirklees "Babies into Books" programme, have affirmed the effectiveness of these programmes. 

• Bookstart's track record: good signs at Key Stage One
• Evaluation of the Kirklees, "Babies into Books" project
• Research on parental involvement in reading

(Source:  unpublished paper presented to the Book Trust in May 2000 called, "A sure start with books", by Barrie Wade and Maggie Moore.) 

Researchers Barrie Wade (University of Birmingham) and Maggie Moore (Newman College) have established in a series of evaluations of  the Bookstart programme, which offers book packs to babies at nine months of age, that participants have a head start in reading before they enter school.  Now in the final stages of a longitudinal study of Bookstart, the researchers  provide evidence that this early start programme raises reading standards in children at Key Stage One. (KS1) 

The aim of the Bookstart research was to trace the effects of shared reading in infancy on literacy outcomes in children at primary school.  41 pupils at KS1 who had received Bookstart packs as babies were examined against a comparison group and achieved higher scores in their SATS than their non-Bookstart peers. 

Bookstart itself began in 1992 and introduced 300 babies to books. Initial research had demonstrated that children developed  positive attitudes toward  books and were more likely to engage in book centred activities. (book clubs, libraries, book purchasing) Further study of children who were between 2 1/2 and 3 years of age indicated that former recipients of Bookstart gave priority to books and libraries and that parents continued to share reading with their children. Some positive indicators that the programme contributed to language development were that participating children demonstrated interest in books, pointed to text and turned pages and asked questions. These findings led to a longitudinal study of Bookstart families and a baseline of 41 children with a matched comparison group to trace the benefits at the reception year.  Because the results showed that Bookstart children were ahead of their peers in the comparison group in English, reading and Maths, the study continued into KS1 where SATS were taken into account and similar positive results were found. The findings suggest that Bookstart children maintain their superiority throughout their first years of  primary education to the end of KS1. 

The study as a whole affirms that the introduction to books in the early years has an impact on long-term reader development and on other subjects. Early interest in and engagement with books is associated with greater focus, motivation and concentration in the classroom in later years. Moreover, the study affirms the importance of parents reading with their children from the beginning and sustaining family reading habits into primary school. 

The researchers conclude that Bookstart is a cost effective means of introducing both babies and parents to books and in raising standards. A scheme such as this one will, according to Wade and Moore, develop a reading culture in the home that will ensure positive learning outcomes in children at school. 

Publications by B. Wade and M. Moore: 

Baby Power, Handforth: Egmont World Ltd, 2000. 
"An early start with books: literacy and mathematical evidence from a longitudinal study," Educational Review, vol. 50, 1998,  pp, 135-145. 
"Home activities: the advent of literacy," European Early Childhood Education Research Journal,  vol. 4, no. 2, 1996, pp. 63-76. 
"Children's early book behaviour," Educational Review, vol. 48, 1996, pp. 283-288. 
B. Wade, Bookstart, London: Book Trust, 1993. 

Recent research on Bookstart
Bookstart research shows reading to babies makes them more successful at school (Guardian 4 April 2000) 

(Source: Margaret Hardman and Lynn Jones, "Sharing Books with babies: evaluation of an early literacy intervention," Educational Review, vol. 51, no3, 1999.) 

To date, the Birmingham Bookstart project of Barrie Wade and Maggie Moore has been the only evaluated initiative to demonstrate that books for babies schemes foster literacy skills in young babies. The evaluation of the Kirklees "Babies into Books" project by Margaret Hardman and Lynn Jones of the Psychology Department of the Bolton Institute reinforces the benefits of this type of early intervention. At the same time, however, it provides a case for provision in these intervention schemes for parental support groups in order to influence home reading habits. 

According to the researchers, the key issue in books for babies schemes is their influence on parental rather than baby behaviour. In this respect, they caution against the Bookstart researchers' tendency to draw " too strong conclusions mystifying or specifically exalting the use of books per se with very young babies." Instead, children's literacy depends to a large extent on the confidence of parents to teach reading strategies to their children. 

The Kirklees Project contributed to a significant change in parental behaviour and in literacy habits in the family, because it placed more emphasis on parental support groups than on the Baby Book Bags. They claim that the benefits of the support groups run by Literacy Development Workers are that  they give mothers an opportunity to meet and to discuss the educational value of literacy-related activities for the home and devise strategies for book-sharing. The Literacy Development Workers reported that families with low levels of literacy could most benefit from these groups.  The mothers in the study also expressed appreciation for the groups. As a result of this support, the findings suggest that both  the number of books in the home for the baby and the frequency of parental reading increased, creating a favourable environment for the child's literacy development. 

The researchers therefore argue in favour of early interventions with support groups that provide parents with information and advice about their children's learning. The implication is that although programmes with support are potentially more expensive than those such as Bookstart, they are more likely to succeed in planting a reading culture in homes of families with low literacy and in raising standards in the long-term.