Paint The Blue Read
Billy Booksie with preschoolers and the Deputy Mayor Janet Mays
What is Paint the Blue Read?
Paint the Blue Read is an initiative of the Blue Mountains Stronger Families Planning Group and is auspiced by Mountains Outreach Community Service (MOCS). In 2009 we received a CDSE small grant from Glenbrook Panthers for resources our Inaugural Annual Reading Day.
The Paint the Blue Read program is being developed by a collaborative working party comprising local residents and child and family service providers across the Blue Mountains LGA.
Its aim is to encourage all levels of the community to support the development of local children’s early literacy skills from birth, so that they will be ready for reading and writing at school.
Want to know more?
Contact MOCS on 4758 6811 or admin@mocs.org.au
What is the Annual Reading Day?
The Annual Reading Day is a whole of community event, where everybody in the Mountains will be encouraged to stop and read for 10 minutes on Wednesday 28 October 2009 in Children’s Week.
Families and services with children 0-5 years will be invited to come and read together in localshopping centres which in turn will be invited to decorate their shops in red for Children’sWeek from 26th October till 31st October.
At the inaugural Annual Reading Day 2009, there will be a special focus on eight BlueMountains villages/townships. The villages and co-ordinators are:
| 1. |
Blackheath
Judy Finch |
Blackheath Neighbourhood Centre |
4787 7770 |
| 2. |
Katoomba
Jeanette Crawford |
Katoomba Hubs |
4758 9966 |
| 3. |
Leura
Jenny Gorman |
Megalong Books |
4784 1302 |
| 4. |
Hazelbrook/Lawson
Kathi Evans |
Lawson Community Preschool |
4758 8151 |
| 5. |
Winmalee
Jill Carlson-Beardall |
Winmalee Hub |
4739 5963 |
| 6. |
Springwood
Annaleise Bondfield |
Carinya Children’s Centre |
4751 4473 |
| 7. |
Blaxland
Kerri-Anne Connelly |
Euroka Children’s Centre |
4739 3688 |
| 8. |
Glenbrook
Geoff Vallance |
Lower Mountains Rotary |
4739 2321 |
In later years we hope to expand to all village precincts across the Mountains.
How can I get involved?
- Volunteer to join a local planning group for one of the 8 villages by contacting therelevant co-ordinator above.
- If you are a shop owner in these areas you can:
- decorate your shop in red for Children’s Week and/or display the Paint theBlue Read poster and postcards
- offer to read to children for 5-10 minutes in your shop on 28 October
- If you work in a children’s and/or family service, plan to include your service in theevent by:
- Taking your children to a participating shop for the reading time (book in withyour local co-ordinator)
- Hold a Reading Day activity at your Centre.
- Where ever you are stop and read at a nominated time on Reading Day (check thetime with your co-ordinator)!
It takes a village to raise a child. 
