Calls to roll out literacy scheme nationwide

A research programme which improved the literacy, behaviour, and concentration levels of children in disadvantaged areas should be rolled out nationwide.

Launching the evaluation report of Doodle Den, a children’s literacy programme run in Tallaght West from 2008 to 2011, the Childhood Development Initiative (CDI) said the pilot service had improved word recognition, sentence structure, and word choice among the children who took part.

It also led to improved concentration, reduced problem behaviours in school, an increase in family library activity, and an increase in the child’s reading at home, the CDI found.