Moreton Bay Region Libraries wheel into Westfield North Lakes

April school holidays saw the First Five Forever van trucking into Westfield shopping centre – taking library services to where the people are!

First Five Forever van

The universal nature of the First 5 Forever program means part of the grant funding can be used by libraries to reach families in the community who may not be currently accessing library services.

First Five Forever van visit

The van allows Moreton Bay Region Library staff to go to where families are and talk to them about the wealth of activities and resources that libraries have to support parents and carers as their child's first and most important teacher.

Hundreds of shoppers stopped by to share a story with their little ones and engage in the interactive activities on offer, including free play with sand and blocks.

It wasn't all about under-fives, either. The North Lakes Library branch team were also in the shopping centre, demonstrating 3D printing and showcasing their robotics programs.

This partnership with Westfield is a great opportunity to share with the community the wide variety of programs and resources libraries have to offer - from newborns through to seniors.  Instead of just hearing about them, shoppers actually got to see the 3D printer in action and to have a go at operating the robots.

First 5 Forever is a Queensland Government funded family literacy initiative that aims to empower parents and raise awareness of the first 5 years in terms of language and emergent literacy development.

 About the author

Nicole Hunt is Coordinator Support Services at Moreton Bay and supports the development and delivery of First 5 Forever programs across the Moreton Bay region.