- Minister for Education
Every Prep student in government schools will start their education with a new library bag and bundle of books to spark the joy of reading, thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.
Minister for Education James Merlino today unveiled the new Prep bags, which are being delivered to
almost 60,000 Preps in more than 1200 schools.
Prep bags give families valuable information and resources, as well as fun activities for preppies - ensuring excellence in education from the very first day of school.
As well as five children's books, the bags include a water bottle, a ruler, booklets, flyers and stickers that
provide valuable information and resources for Preps and their families.
Children will receive great Australian books selected by an expert panel of teachers, librarians and literacy experts, including:
- Silver Buttons, written and illustrated by Bob Graham
- The Dress-Up Box, written by Patrick Guest and illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom
- Where is Galah?, written and illustrated by Sally Morgan
- Hello from Nowhere, written by Raewyn Caisley and illustrated by Karen Blair
- Edward the Emu, written by Sheena Knowles and illustrated by Rod Clement.
The quality of the characters, illustrations and use of language in these books will help families to engage their children with reading and literature.
To promote inclusion, the books are also produced in braille and distributed to Prep students who are blind.
The picture on the front of the bag is the work of Ana Lívia Maiorino, who won a competition to design this year's Prep Bag. Her design aims to encourage Prep students to make new friends and learn new things on their first day of school.
As stated by Minister for Education James Merlino
"We provide every Prep student attending a Victorian government school with a free bag of fun and engaging items because every child in every classroom, regardless of their background, deserves the best chance to succeed."
"The first day of Prep is a huge step for students and parents, we want to make sure that the education students receive at school continues at home."
"Reading to your child is a great way to spend time together - it increases a child's vocabulary and
understanding of the world while helping them make the link between spoken and written words."
