In 2014, the Readings Foundation is supporting Save the Children Australia to establish an after school literacy and homework support program called the Collingwood Reading Club. The club is for refugee and humanitarian migrant children and their families in Collingwood.

What is the Reading Club?

The club will involve a range of literacy activities and games, and one-on-one tutoring/homework assistance for school-aged children. The activities are designed in coordination with the local primary school to make sure they’re suitable for children attending the program.

It will be facilitated by a qualified and experienced bi-lingual coordinator - who has strong links with the local community - and dedicated local volunteers. The club will be held for two hours, twice a week during term time.

How does the Reading Club help children?

The club will deliver developmental and educational activities for children in a safe and supportive environment. By attending the club, local refugee and humanitarian migrant children are supported through the transition to school and helps them to reach the developmental level of their Australian-born peers.

The program also supports parents to better understand the importance of reading, regular homework and structured routines as part of their child’s development and education. Additionally, the social isolation for migrant families is decreased by encouraging attendance of parents who benefit by mixing with other parents and accessing information about support networks, early childhood and parenting support services available to them.

The program model is based on Save the Children’s highly successful Fitzroy After School Literacy and Homework Support Club (African Reading Club), which the Readings Foundation supported throughout 2013.

Many families living in Collingwood have been travelling to our Fitzroy African Reading Club to access support, placing enormous strain on the services we provide there (including our toy library). This pilot has been designed to meet the growing needs of the Collingwood residents, so they can access services closer to school and home.

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