Bank of Valletta, in collaboration with the National Literacy Agency, recently organised weekly Read with Me sessions for BOV employees and their young children.
The Read with Me /Aqra Miegħi programme, supported by Bank of Valletta, is in its fifth year of running. It promotes shared reading experiences, focusing on early literacy and parental education. This national literacy programme strives to cultivate a love for reading long before children set foot in a classroom. It recognises the crucial role of families and caregivers in instilling a positive approach towards books and raising levels of literacy. The programme reaches around 4,000 children aged zero to three and accompanying parents and carers each year. Over 70 sessions are held free of charge every week in Maltese and English in centres around Malta and Gozo. Dedicated animators bring these reading sessions to life for these young children, while also providing parents and caregivers a chance to bond with their children in a learning environment.
Claire Marie Micallef from BOV PR and marketing, who coordinated the sessions for BOV staff, said: “These sessions were held at the BOV head office. Staff come after office-hours with their babies and toddlers to attend these sessions, transforming BOV Centre into an educational centre. Watching the interaction between the reader, parents and children is amazing. The little ones are kept enthralled by the animated session, while the parents became kids themselves contributing to the fun element of these sessions. Education is paramount in our books, and we strive to pass on this value to everyone including our staff.”
Miriam Schembri, programme coordinator at the National Literacy Agency commented: “Having BOV parents and children actively participating in these sessions through fun games, singing nursery rhymes and playing with books, truly embodies the spirit of the Read with Me programme. It is of great satisfaction to us that BOV employees attend these sessions as in this way our programme has an even wider reach.”
Read with Me/Aqra Miegħi sessions are ongoing and open to all parents and caregivers and their zero- to three-year-olds. For more information or to reserve a place visit Facebook page ‘Aqra Miegħi / Read with Me’, phone 2598 2999 or e-mail aqra.storja@ilearn.edu.mt.