a) A University of Canberra student has launched the nation’s first father-led literacy project, to encourage fathers to become more involved in their children’s literacy.
b) Teachers depend on parent helpers in the earlier school years, though research shows that nationally only five percent of these helpers are male,” she said. “A male that values reading sets a powerful role model, particularly for young boys, who are statistically more likely to end up in remedial literacy programs.
c) Julia Bocking’s Literacy and Dads (LADS) project aims to increase the number of fathers participating as literacy helpers in K-2 school reading programs at Queanbeyan Primary Schools.
d) Having worked as a literacy tutor with teenagers, Ms Bocking saw the need for good attitudes towards reading to be formed early on - with the help of more male role models.
e) “There’s no program like this in Australia,” Ms Bocking said, who devised the project as the final component of her community education degree at the University.
