The Tindall Foundation has a long standing relationship with Storytime Foundation. Since 2010 we have invested funds to assist the organisation’s highly successful Books for Babies programme and in 2017 supported Talking Matters Symposium which Storytime was part of.
Storytime Foundation plays a critical role with families of newborns, delivering books into homes, encouraging reading to babies and helping parents bond with their newborns. Books for Babies creates an opportunity for high needs families with newborns to develop confidence and parenting skills and works collaboratively with HIPPY, PAFT and Barnardos to engage families. Through its work the organisation helps build cohesive families and improve social outcomes.
We know that a strong bond between a caregiver and child during the first 1000 days of life significantly improves outcomes for the child and the wider family unit. It also has positive effects on literacy. Talking to babies from an early age has positive effects on brain development and attachment. Supporting the work of Storytime is close to the Founder’s hearts.
In 2010, we funded the expansion of Books for Babies from Auckland to Waikato and the Bay of Plenty and in 2012 supported a national expansion. In that period an additional 16,000 books were delivered to families. Storytime is now delivering books in Auckland, Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay, Porirua and Hutt Valley, Horewhenua/Whanganui, Nelson, Canterbury, South Canterbury West Coast and Otago and to date has delivered 172,684 books to 46,255 families. Storytime currently has 7300 families actively participating in the programme and over 120 volunteers involved.
Storytime Foundation is part of the Talking Matters working group and was involved in the planning of the first Talking Matters Symposium which took place in 2017, the first event to focus specifically on early language development with small children. Talking Matters is a campaign to wrap early language around our children in their first three years of life.
We gave $15,000 to subsidised the costs for organisations working within early years to attend symposiums, cover the cost filming presentations from participating practitioners and enable Storytime to keep their programmes highlighted – reading/sharing life stories and early attachment as a service already working in that field of literacy and oracy.
Talking Matters investigated and promoted effective messages of parents and other adults talking more and talking differently to infants and toddlers, finding out what has resonance for diverse Kiwi families.
Tony Culliney, CEO of Storytime Foundation said the symposium was a great success and brought together a wide range of agencies and interested individuals and groups. “It was, as well as a learning and sharing experience, a demonstration and reinforcement of the incredible work being done in advancing opportunities for babies and young children in particular in New Zealand, and has led, among other things, to increased networking opportunities.”
Donation period: 2010-present
Total funding: $460,000
2017/18 funding: $15,000 for Talking Matters Symposium