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WHO WE ARE?

Since 2011, Reading Out of Poverty (ROOP) is the only non-profit organisation in Victoria, that provides early literacy support to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. From 2021, ROOP will expand its national focus to include the remote communities in North Queensland, ACT, and New South Wales.

About Us

What We Do?

We promote literacy skills in early childhood and provide literacy resources and services to families with young children from low socio-economic backgrounds, including migrants, refugees, and Indigenous individuals in Australia.

Our Mission

To enhance the language and literacy skills of children, beginning at birth by supporting parents as their child’s first teachers.

Our Vision

Every Australian family will understand the importance of early childhood literacy and be active in their child’s reading development. Australian children from different cultures, genders, and backgrounds will develop literacy skills and have books of their own.

Our goals

  • Enhance literacy skills among the children we support.
  • Create and maintain a love for and a habit of reading within families and communities in Australia.
  • Create awareness within the communities about the importance of early literacy development.
  • Reduce the gap between children from a disadvantaged background and their wealthier peers.
  • Train parents to support their children in their learning.
  • Seek learning opportunities for children.

Our impact

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WHY WE DO IT?

Being literate is the key to accessing, interpreting and processing information around us. Targeting the years 0-5 is vital in creating an understanding of our complex language system.

Developing a love of play and reading from an early age feeds a child’s natural curiosity with learning. Being exposed to developmental play and storytelling are the very basic foundations of literacy and language progression. It is the key to academic success that can assist in breaking the cycle of poverty.

About Us

About Us

About Us

About Us

THE PROBLEM

Too many children in Australia are entering the school system either illiterate or with low literacy skills. Many low-income earners struggle to afford books for their children, widening the literacy gap between children from low socio-economic backgrounds and higher-income families.

A lack of literacy skills can cause low academic performance across all curriculum areas, which lasts for a child’s entire school life. If children lack support in their literacy journey, it can contribute to an unbreakable cycle of poverty.

meet our team

Andy Kay image
Andrew Kay
CEO/Founder
profile LC ROOP
Lorena Canon
Program Manager Victoria
Daniel Moreno image
Daniel Moreno
Program Manager Geelong

Committee of Management

Chair

Darryn Keneally OAM
Chair of Big Brothers
Big Sisters Australia

Deputy Chair

Dr Anthony Cree OAM
CEO Aboriginal Literacy Foundation/Victoria University

Treasurer

Julia Patterson-Kay
Co Founder of Great Wrap
Young Victorian of the Year 2022

Secretary

Andrew Kay
Executive Director ROOP
Victorian of the Year 1998
Angelica Correa
Migrant Advocate
Founder of Refuge of Hope Inc
Dr Don Green
President of Gordon College
Samantha Sida
Director and Co-Founder
Limited Space
Andrew Kay
Executive Director
ROOP/WLF
Darryn Keneally
Managing Director,
Janico Pty. Ltd.
John Steward
Community Development Manager,
Mornington Peninsula
Angelica Correa
Project Coordinator, Refuge of Hope Inc.
Paula Londono
Early Childhood Literacy Specialist

Our Patron

Linda Dessau
Her Excellency the Honourable AO Governor of Victoria

Our Friends and Supporters

ACU Australian Catholic University logo image
BestStart logo image
Victoria State Government Education and Training logo image
Urban Seed logo image
MonashHealth Dandenong Hospital logo image
Dandenong South Primary Kindergarten logo image
Australian Government Logo Image
Cloverdale Community Centre logo image
The Salvation Army logo image
Wathaurong logo image
The Yellow Dance Spot logo image
Collier Charitable Fund Logo Image
Bank of Melbourne Logo image
Australia Post logo image
VIVA Energy Australia Logo image
NOURISH FOODS CO. logo image
DAMO - Music for Kids image
The Andrews Foundation logo image
Westpac Logo Image
ISPT Super Property Logo Image
Perpetual logo image
Exlibris a ProQuest Company logo image
Minter Ellison logo image
Mary MacKillop today logo image
seed
Bendigo Bank logo image
Transurban logo image
Blue Autumn Copy logo image
Telematics Trust
Ansvar 370x200

Thank you to our Trusts, Foundations, Government and Corporate supporters:

Bendigo Bank Community Foundation, City of Greater Dandenong, City of Melbourne Community grants,  Edward Wilson Estate, Mary MacKillop Today Community Grants,  Norman Mavis and Graeme Waters Charitable Trust,  Perpetual Trustees, Equity Trustees, Schiavello Charitable Foundation,  The Andrews Foundation,  The Estate of the Late GWA Griffith, The Hazel Peat Charitable Trust,  The Pierce Armstrong Foundation, The Samuel Nissen Foundation, MCV Court Fund,  Transuburan Community Fund,  Victorian Multicultural Commission,  Viva Energy,  Zdraveski Charitable Fund, ISPT Super Property, The Mazda Foundation, Leith Charitable Trust, Readings Foundation, Ethical Jobs Foundation, Dyson Community Foundation, Booktopia, Australian Communities Foundation, Telematics Trust, Ansvar Insurance.

Awesome Foundation,  Bank of Melbourne Neighbourhood Fund,  Besen Family Foundation, Collier Charitable Fund,  Foundation of Graduates in Early Childhood Studies,  Harold Mitchell Foundation, Inger Rice Foundation, Minter Ellison, Nourish Foods, Peter William Trust Fund, Reading Foundation, Ren Barlow, The Calvert-Jones Foundation, The City of Casey, The Geoff and Helen Handbury Foundation, The Marin Flack Trust, The Rali Foundation & Victorian Women’s Trust, Westpac Community Foundation.

About Us

A special thanks to our many amazing partners across Victoria:

1000 Tales, Australian Catholic University, Awesome Foundation, Back to Basics Playgroup Leongatha, Ballarat central playgroup, Bass Coast Health Wonthaggi, Bayside City Council, Belle Uve Primary School, Best Start, Bethany Community Support, Blue Autumn Copy, Broadmeadows Community Hub, Brother of St Laurence Frankston, Chandler Park Playgroup, City of Greater Dandenong Playgroups, Cloverdale Community Centre, Community Hubs Australia, Craigieburn Community Hub, Dallas Community Hub, Damo Music for Kids, Dandenong Community Hub, Dandenong Hospital (Paediatric, Maternity & Emergency Wards), Dandenong Library, Dandenong South Kindergarten, Eleanor Curtain Publishing, Elizabeth Wilmot Playgroup Morwell, Geelong Cats, Geelong Mum’s Playgroup, Greater Dandenong Family Day Care, Healthwise Gippsland Speech Pathology Traralgon, Karmai Community Children’s Centre, Lake Press Pty Ltd, Latrobe Health Assembly Morwell, Latrobe Valley City Council Morwell, Live Literate by E.S. Karl, Maternal & Child Health Dandenong, Meadows Primary School, Milpara Community House, Moe Supported Playgroup, Monash Health, Mornington Library, Morwell Primary School Supported Playgroup, Mount Ridley College, Multiples Playgroup Traralgon, Newborough- Yallourn Playgroup, Old Gippstown Moe, Olinda’s Place Warragul, Play 2 Learn Playgroup Moe, Play & Learn Playgroup Korumburra, Possum Playgroup at Dandenong Library, Rotary Club of Bairnsdale Sunrise, Sara Court Playgroup Traralgon, Save the Children Moe, Seed to Sprout, Sing and Play – Playgroup Moe, Smalltalk supported playgroups, South Gippsland Shire Council, South Street Primary School Playgroup Moe, Sparrow Early Learning Drouin, Springvale Rise Primary School, Springvale Service for Children Playgroup, St Anthony’s Primary School, St Hilary’s Intergenerational Playgroup Morwell, St Michael and St Luke’s Playgroup, Supported Playgroup Traralgon, The Laundry Lounge Morwell, The Little Yellow Dance Spot, The Salvation Army, The Smith Family Hub, Traralgon East Support Playgroup, Traralgon South Bush Playgroup (Friday Afternoon), Traralgon South Bush Playgroup (Friday Morning), Traralgon West Playgroup, Two Birds One Scone, Tyers Playgroup, VicSeg Braybrook, Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative, We Care Playgroup, West Footscray Library, Woodleigh School, Woorabinda Farm Playgroup, Yarraman Oaks Primary School Playgroup.

About Us