Paint Baw Baw REaD

Paint the Town REaD is an early year's literacy initiative that encourages the community to read, rhyme, talk and sing with children from birth to prep aged children to ensure all children will be ready for reading and writing at school.

Literacy skills learnt before starting school are crucial for attaining literacy competency at school, which in turn is vital for life's successes. These skills include language development, focused attention, book awareness, phonological awareness, and pre-writing skills.

Paint Baw Baw REaD focus areas

• Early Literacy Skills : hearing and listening, talking and vocabulary, rhyming, alphabet awareness, sounds in words and book awareness
• Attachment and Early Brain Development: Promoting a secure attachment and incorporating fun into parenting.
• Collective Impact Capacity Building: involving as many levels of community and society as possible. Council, schools, businesses, community groups.

How is Baw Baw Painting the Town REaD?

Here in Baw Baw Shire we followed the journey of our very own “Mysterious Baw Baw Egg”(PDF, 2MB). The egg travelled through our local primary schools, kindergartens and Library getting read to, to help it grow and grow until eventually it hatched at Baw Baw Shire's very first Paint Baw Baw REaD Early Years Expo, on the 21^st May 2022, revealing what little creature had been growing inside!  

Our mission is to encourage children and families to read more, so that they too will grow and flourish.

The story that was read to the egg(s) was been written by a local Early Years Educator, illustrated by local Sketch artists – Keira Sloetjes and printed by Kage Design & Photography, all who fully support the PBBR initiative.

Baw Baw Shire also aims to have 11 book boxes located throughout the community, at public parks, for families and children to access. The community is invited to leave books they have already read, take books home to read, or read books at the location of the book box, as we strive for all children who have access to a park, to have access to a book.

Stay tuned as we will be announcing our annual PBBR reading day. That way each year our community can celebrate the importance of reading, rhyming, talking and singing with children aged 0-6, having them confident in literacy by the end of grade 1. 

Come along to our Paint Baw Baw REaD Expo!

Young families are invited to come along to this free, not-for-profit event to discover some of the kid friendly businesses and services on offer within the Shire!

The Paint Baw Baw REaD Expo will be held at the West Gippsland Art Centre, and will feature up to 40 business stalls showcasing a range of products and services varying from physical activity, education, creativity and performing arts for little ones ages 0-6 years old. 

The expo will also feature a live reading of 'The Mysterious Baw Baw Egg' by Valerie Jarred, which will be followed by the hatching of the mysterious egg, revealing what's been growing inside!