The Book Institute, in collaboration with the Universal Reading Foundation, has launched an online course for midwives and medical staff caring for pregnant women, called “The Power of Reading Aloud: The Impact of Early Reading Intervention on Children’s Health and Development”.

As part of the training, participants will learn, among other things, about the latest research on the development of language skills in children. The course programme also provides practical knowledge about the impact of reading aloud on the health and development of young children, while encouraging participants to promote among parents reading from the moment their child is born. Completion of the course guarantees a certificate. The following experts will share their knowledge with participants: Dr Magdalena Ossolińska, specialist in paediatrics and paediatric pulmonology, and Professor Barry Zuckerman, Chair Emeritus at the Department of Paediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine.

During the training, midwives will also learn more about our bookstart campaign “Small Book – Great Person”, under which nearly 20,000 parents of newborns in more than 90% of hospitals in Poland receive free books for babies and informational materials about the benefits of reading.

We want midwives to become the frontline  reading ambassadors, to be knowledgeable about the role of reading in a child’s life and to convince parents to regularly read to their children from birth.

The training will involve more than 1,000 midwives across the whole of Poland. Participation in the training is free of charge.