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Bring Me a Book Hong Kong’s Community Trainings are the critical ‘software’ needed to empower parents and educators to instill a love of reading in children from an early age. Our main target groups are parents and care givers of children 0-8 years old. We offer Community Trainings for eligible schools, centers, clinics and non-profit organizations that serve parents-to-be, new parents and grandparents.
Evidence shows that children who are read to from birth, not only experience stronger parent-child bonds but also demonstrate greater brain activity and development (as shown through MRI scans) and valuable language and literacy skills.
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement recommending parents to read to their children from birth. More than 80% of a child’s brain is formed during their first three years and 90% – nearly adult growth -by the age of six. What the child experiences during this window can irreversibly affect how their brain develops. Attention and nurturing from a loving parent, grandparent or caregiver supports healthy brain development—and one of the best ways to engage young children is to read books together.
Non-profit making organizations, education bodies and social service organizations registered under the laws of Hong Kong are eligible to apply.
To provide participants with more effective ways to read with children, help address challenges they face and select the right books to improve the child’s interest, motivation and confidence to read, for future success in school and life.
Format and duration of the trainings will vary depending on the needs of the beneficiary site and target audience. Each training has one trainer and a maximum of 20 participants to keep it interactive. After completion of training, each participant will receive one picture book as a gift to practice reading culture at home. All interested parties, please enquire here.
PRE-NATAL TRAINING: We train expectant parents through partnerships with non-profit health care clinics, Department of Health and Hong Kong public hospitals.
EARLY CHILDHOOD TRAINING: We train parents of children 0-8 years old through partnerships with non-profit kindergartens, playgroups, primary schools and community centers.
GRANDPARENT TRAINING: We train grandparents as they can play a unique and significant role in nurturing the health and wellbeing of a child. We partner with Department of Health, community centers and non-profit health care clinics.
Before the training, I read with my daughter only for academic development and she was so reluctant to read books. After applying what I had learnt in the community training, she started to pick up books and read for her own pleasure!
Christine Yau
Participant of BMABHK’s Community Training
We want to keep the trainings as interactive and practical as possible. The trainers are more like facilitators, helping guide parents to practice good habits and overcome challenges based on individual circumstances.
There is a constant need to educate the influx of parents and caregivers in Hong Kong, particularly in the local schools where reading for self-learning (and unconnected to homework) is not considered absolutely critical to the healthy development of children.
We encourage you to join our library program, so your community of families and students can easily access quality books and be eligible for more trainings. Please visit our library program (Bookcase and Book Bag Library) for more details.
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