Robyn Gough reads to her sons Luke, 6, and Justin, 4. Picture: John Fotiadis Source: The Daily Telegraph
READING is more than words on a page for thousands of foster children opening a book for the first time.
More than 90 per cent of the 37,000 Australian children in crisis care are below the reading age of seven, but a little-known charity is helping to turn that around.
The Pyjama Foundation's reading program for foster kids aims to break the typical life-cycle of disadvantage - which can lead to homelessness and unemployment - by fostering an early love of books.
A study into the program's value, which included the work of volunteer "Pyjama Angels" who read to children, found every dollar invested in boosting children's literacy levels generated $4.86 in long-term social and economic benefits.
Founder Bronwyn Sheehan said children are hungry to learn, with more than 120 kids in western Sydney waiting for a Pyjama Angel.
"A lot of these children who enter the care system have very poor language skills. They haven't been spoken to much and literacy is not part of their lives," Ms Sheehan said.
"The response from the kids when our Pyjama Angels arrive is blow-your-socks-off wonderful. They often wait on the footpath for their angel to arrive."
The Daily Telegraph has donated to the Pyjama Foundation about 300 books from its Penguin Kids' Mini Book Collection, a 14-part series of classic children's books
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