Rejected petition Continue direct funding for the Welsh Bookstart programme for babies and children
From 1 April 2026, funding currently supporting BookTrust’s bilingual early years programmes for babies and young children, including Bookstart and Pori Drwy Stori, will be redirected.
This decision means investment in established and impactful universal and targeted support for children through their first 1,000 days will instead be used by Adnodd to commission resources in their aim to support the teaching and learning of the Curriculum for Wales.
More details
84% of low-income families read more after receiving support from BookTrust Cymru.
72% of parents & carers say Bookstart made them feel more confident about reading with their children & 60% say it prompted them to read & share stories in Welsh more with their child than they would have done.
They support a range of Welsh Government priorities, including the First 1000 Days programme, Healthy Child Wales, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, Cymraeg 2050, Curriculum for Wales and Anti-racist Wales.
BookTrust Cymru is calling on the Welsh Government to publish the child rights & impact assessments that informed its decision to end Bookstart in Wales & provide clarity on how continuity of impactful early years shared reading support will be guaranteed beyond April 2026.
Info from BookTrust Cymru
https://www.booktrust.org.uk
Why was this petition rejected?
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