Many years ago, I was principal of a country school. It bothered me that too many of our children had trouble learning to read and write. It bothered me into action.

In my school we made a huge effort. Best practice. It was a blitz. With great results, right?
Well, no. We had results, but they were not great. For all our efforts, the results were — as a teacher I hate admitting this — disappointing. This got me thinking. Are some children just doomed? Or were we missing something? I looked wider. What I found changed everything.

Study after study showed that a child’s ability to learn to read and write at school is set in the first five years of life. The first three years, in fact. School was too late. And what’s needed in those early years? Simple. Yet I could see that it wasn’t happening in many families.

Spend time with children every day, from birth — talking, singing, rhyming, reading — and you’ll prepare them to read and write at school. It’s from this insight that Paint the Town REaD was born.

‘Painting the town red’ carries the notion of celebration, of ‘doing’ the town, of saturating it with excitement and enthusiasm. That’s the literacy culture we want to generate. We pull together community groups, agencies and businesses, and we inspire them to integrate this culture into everything they do with (and as) families. And to keep inventing the most fun and creative ways to do so.

It’s a growing, nationwide network of people whose influence can change thousands of lives, long term.

Will you join us?

Rhonda Brain, OAM

Michelle Calderbank was presented with WA’s  Shire of Yilgarn Australia Day Active Citizenship Award for her significant contribution to supporting the Yilgarn community.

Michelle set up Paint the Yligarn REaD in her own time to provide the next generation of children in Southern Cross with the best possible chance to reach their potential. Michelle is a high school English teacher. She has witnessed first hand the significant challenges for young people who have missed out on important early literacy foundational experiences.

A long-time resident in Southern Cross, Michelle has had the connections and the respect in the community to engage everyone in supporting and spreading the PTTR message. This includes her high school students who eagerly took on the catering role  at the launch event, and gained catering qualifications in the process.

Michelle has a number of other voluntary roles in the community, such as running the Young Entertainers program for the past 12 years and active involvement in sporting clubs.

Congratulations to Michelle — a great PTTR Champion.

Today we celebrate and remember the importance of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day.

Thank you to the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aunties and Uncles and workers from across Australia, who are leading us to Paint Australia REaD, Black and Yellow so that our children will arrive at school loving books and ready to learn.