Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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930. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the position regarding the First 5 Little Library Initiative; if a library book bag will be provided to every child starting school in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12978/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Little Library is an initiative under the First 5 Strategy.

It is led by my Department, with the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) and the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) and is funded under Dormant Accounts Funding.

Under the Little Library Initiative 2021, 4,500 early learning and childcare services, including childminders, were offered an opportunity to connect with their local library and receive a series of book bags.

Book bags were made available in May and again in October 2021, to ensure early learning and childcare services build a library of quality books for young children, and to encourage them to make greater use of their local library. Books were made available in the Irish and English language. In addition, accessible versions of some titles were developed by the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI).

Under the Little Library Initiative 2022 - My Little Library - a free book bag with storybooks and resources was offered to every 4 and 5 year old who started school in September 2022.

The children received an invitation to participate in the initiative through their early learning and care setting.

The objective of this initiative was that all children starting school in September 2022 would have storybooks in their home and be members of their local library.

My Little Library was available in English and Irish.

The initiative ran from Easter to the October bank holiday. Of the 60,000 book bags that were provided to the libraries, 51,000 book bag pickups were reported.All remaining book bags are being held by the libraries for future use.

Over 24,000 children in the target age group have joined the library since the initiative started and a further 10,000 children have renewed their library membership.

Funding has been secured from the Dormant Accounts Fund to continue the Little Library Initiative in 2023. The details of the 2023 Initiative are currently being drawn up by my officials in consultation with the LGMA and Libraries Ireland and will be announced shortly.

An evaluation of the First 5 Little Library initiative is also currently underway.