Little Readers Read-a-thon

The Little Readers Read-a-thon is an initiative developed by Life’s Little Treasures Foundation, in partnership with NIDCAP Australasia, aimed at encouraging parents in neonatal units to read to their baby every day.

Once again, NIDCAP Australasia, in partnership with Life’s Little Treasures Foundation is promoting participation in the Little Readers Read-a-thon and we are inviting all neonatal units across Australia to participate. We also welcome international participation!

Held annually, this event encourages hospitals and families to promote the importance of reading to babies from an early age. There are wonderful book packages to be won by hospitals for the number of books read, hours logged and best dressed units!

Reading Matters,
Even to the Smallest Baby

Why Reading Is Important

Reading to babies every day supports their development, not only in the neonatal hospital environment, but also going into early infancy and childhood. Not only do babies enjoy hearing their parent’s voice over any other sound, but importantly, reading aloud is an activity that parents can do every day for their baby during a time where many new mums and dads feel helpless in an intense and stressful environment.

Reading aloud with infants is also linked with improved language and writing abilities for children at school age, so it is never too early to start reading together.

Meet our Read-a-thon Ambassador Michelle Worthington

Michelle Worthington is an internationally published award-winning author of empowering picture books for children of all ages. She is also the mother of three premature babies and understands well the benefits reading to babies brings.

“Being an Ambassador for Life’s Little Treasures Foundation’s Read-a-thon is important to me because as an author (and a mother of 3 prems!) I believe in the power of reading to babies from birth to promote bonding which helps them to thrive and succeed” – Michelle Worthington

Register here for the
Little Readers Read-a-thon 2024

If you are a health professional, we’d love you to get involved and encourage families to take part!

We welcome all neonatal intensive care nurseries, special care nurseries or even pediatric intensive care units to read to babies.

Register your hospital to participate in the
Little Readers Read-a-thon 2024 here. It’s easy – just fill in our online form and we’ll take care of the rest!

How to Win a Prize for Your Hospital

Prizes are up for grabs for the hospital with the greatest number of books read and the most minutes read, so please make sure you have families logging the reading on the logging sheets provided.

Once the Little Readers Read-a-thon is complete, upload your logging sheets using the link below. Logging sheets must be uploaded by COB on Friday, 30 September, 2024.

Upload Your Entry Here

Need More Information?

Please contact Amy Baker, Programs Coordinator for Life’s Little Treasures Foundation via email: abaker@lltf.org.au

Little Readers Read-a-thon: Frequently Asked Questions

Check out our FAQs below for more information or contact us directly with any questions you may have about the Little Readers Read-a-thon event.

Is my unit eligible to enter the Little Readers Read-a-thon?

Any hospital unit that admits neonates is welcome to join – we have neonatal intensive care units, special care nurseries and pediatric intensive care units from hospitals of all sizes who join the Little Readers Read-a-thon.

How do I get the resources I need for the Little Readers Read-a-thon?

Once you have registered for the Little Readers Read-a-thon, you automatically will be sent an email with digital files of all the resources you need to get the event up and running in your unit. This email will contain the Parent Info Pack documents, a reading log template, certificates and flyers for you to print out.

Will I be sent a starter pack?

Starter packs are sent to hospitals participating in Australia if they register before the cut-off date of 23 August 2024. International participants will not be sent a physical starter pack of resources but will be emailed all of the digital files needed to run the event. We will also send you a library bag for each of the families participating while our stocks last.

Can I collect my starter pack resources in person?

Yes! Life’s Little Treasures Foundation will be having a stall at the ACNN conference in Melbourne on 6-8 September 2024. Starter packs can be available for collection upon request – please make note when you are submitting your registration that you would like to collect your starter pack from the event.

How can my unit participate?

Neonatal units are required to register to officially participate in the Little Readers Read-a-thon in order to be eligible for prizes and so they can access resources. Please register your hospital by the end of August by completing the form below. You will then receive a Read-a-thon starter pack and access to online resources to help you run the activity.

What do I get when I register for the Read-a-thon?

Units will receive a great tool kit that includes everything you’ll need for this event; fact sheets, promotional posters, participation certificates, log sheets, and survey tools.

What can I do to prepare for the Little Readers Read-a-thon?

Consider how you can promote the event to parents and staff and what resources you have available to you. If you do not have an existing reading library in your unit, consider how you could start one – can you ask for donations from local businesses or supporters? Can your school library or local council library provide you with decommissioned books?

Making the Most of the Little Readers Read-a-thon

We encourage you to make this activity their own and to find creative, fun ways to promote the joys of reading within your unit. Our Read-a-thon flyer provides some ideas and inspiration to get you started, and you can download it here.

Download Flyer