Storytime Foundation Annual Report 2023

Annual Report For year end 30 June 2023

Northland

Enrolled 413 Target 600

Waikato

Enrolled 184 Target 1200

Taranaki

Enrolled 253 Target 300

Manawatu and Whanganui

Enrolled 57 Target 600

Wellington and Horowhenua

Enrolled 299 Target 1000 Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough

Enrolled 129 Target 200 West Coast and Canterbury

Enrolled 865 Target 1000

Southland and Otago

Enrolled 376 Target 450

Creation of Books for Babes initiative

Trust Deed signed, Administrator contracted, first newsletter produced First evaluation of Books for Babes

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

Tindall Foundation funds a CEO position

500 families delivered Books for Babes 2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

$31,000 raised First books delivered – funded

by Rotary International

Logo designed and 540 books delivered

Number of books per family increased to five and 3,000 books delivered

2009

2010

Auckland

Enrolled 962 Target 5450 Bay of Plenty and Lakes

Enrolled 1776 Target 1050

Tairawhiti

Enrolled 238 Target 250

Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa

Enrolled 261 Target 550

Annual Report For year end 30 June 20223

Contents

Storytime Book Distribution 2022-23 NUMBER OF FAMILIES ENROLLED Note. Enrolments for the Books for Babies Programme were significantly impacted by COVID-19.

Books for Babies expanded to Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Northland

2012

CEO appointed and 50,000th book delivered Second evaluation undertaken and expansion to Canterbury

2013

2014

4

Our work this year

6

Executive Function

8

Statement of Service Performance

10

Special Purpose Financial Report

12

Appendix: Financials

13

Appendix: Auditor’s Report

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Expansion to Hawkes Bay and First 1000 Days pilots commence

Expansion to East Coast 2011

Chief Executive and Chair’s Report

2015

Storytime delivers hundreds of care packs to vulnerable families in Alert Levels

Expansion of Corrections programme and introduction of Child Centred Visiting

Expansion to Southland 2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

COVID impacts programmes 17,448 books delivered – expansion to Porirua

Expansion to Taranaki and Nelson and Prisons programme commences

Digitised Books for Babies/First 1000 Days enrolment process

2023

Storytime Foundation Annual Report 2023

Storytime Foundation Annual Report 2023

Chief Executive and Chair’s Report On behalf of the Storytime Foundation Board of Trustees it is our pleasure to present this Annual Report.

This year we are delighted to report growth in deliveries for all of our programmes. During the course of the year we implemented an on-line enrolment process for our Books for Babies programme. This along with excellent support from our partner providers has resulted in increased enrolments. We delivered a record number of books as a result, with 27,914 books reaching families. Over 12,000 children were supported through our programmes.

We were fortunate to receive a donation from the Tindall Foundation that allowed us to contract a project manager to assist with an initiative to develop a community enterprise with a view to retailing our own publications and a range of other books. We look forward to seeing how this initiative progresses in the coming year.

We strengthened our commitment to te tiriti over the course of the year by working to improve our cultural competence and by increasing the number and range of books in te reo Māori as well as bilingual books and titles in Pasifika and other languages. We are grateful to the Ministry of Education for assisting with funding titles in home and heart languages.

In 2023 the impact of COVID continued across all of our services with many of our partner agencies affected by changes in staffing levels and reduced access to whānau. However, as staffing levels improved in the latter half of the financial year, we experienced an increase in activity in our Taonga mō ngā Tamariki programme as Corrections sites became more accessible; and in other services our partner providers including well child services and Family Start began to move back to business as usual.

Much of the organisation’s success this year, as in past years, is due to the tireless work of the staff, contractors and volunteers and we thank them and acknowledge their dedication to the programmes.

With the help of Ministry of Education, Police and Corrections, we delivered books and other resources along with key messages to some of the most vulnerable children in Aotearoa through our “Tamariki Carepack” project, delivering over 1000 Carepacks to whānau in Northland and Auckland and we plan to deliver a further 800 in Funding Year 2024, across New Zealand.

We have again enjoyed working with our partners: Libraries, Plunket, Tamariki Ora providers, midwives, health service providers, Family Start and District Health Boards, and have again joined with new organisations and networks to allow delivery of our services to the highest need families as we have expanded into new areas.

We would also like to thank Alex Woodley of Point Associates for her work not only with evaluations but also for her advice and assistance as we reviewed programmes and services this year, and our special thanks to Riki Consultancy for their work in supporting our te tiriti journey.

We strengthened our commitment to te tiriti over the course of the year by working to improve our cultural competence and by increasing the number and range of books in te reo Māori as well as bilingual books and titles in Pasifika and other languages.

As an organisation we approach the coming year well placed for growth in our various programmes as we continue to build on the foundations already laid. We are fortunate to have secured contracts with Corrections and the Ministry of Education to support programme delivery in the coming year and look forward to continuing our work in communities across Aotearoa.

We have progressed with Child Centric Visiting (CCV) at Christchurch Women’s Prison (CWP), Northern Region Corrections (NRCF) and Auckland Women’s Prison (ARWCF). We delivered a special Christmas event at NRCF that was a great success and was the subject of a Newshub item.

Tony Culliney Chief Executive

Our funders and donors have been very supportive again this year. Through their generosity we received $306,074 this year.

Particular thanks go to Cognition Education Trust, Rotorua Trust, Foundation North, Lottery National, and BayTrust.

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Thomas Bendall Chair

Storytime Foundation Annual Report 2023

Our Work Each and every day, babies are born into New Zealand families where parents are ill-equipped, supported or resourced to adequately provide their children with the attention they need and deserve.

In partnership with organisations that are well aligned with our goal - to build stronger families and through them, a better society – we provide information, education, and support for caregivers, parents and whanau to: • Improve parent-child attachment • grow tamariki social and emotional capacity for connecting with others • develop babies’/children’s grasp and use of language for communication and learning.

We do this by providing parents and whānau with selected books and other resources and working with individuals and agencies to show them how these can be used. The extensive evidence shows, for example, when parents and whānau hold babies and children close and share the stories in books - reading the words, talking about the pictures, and singing the songs – children feel safe and loved, and at the same time learn to understand and use the language they need for life-long learning.

Working collaboratively with Well Child/Tamariki Ora providers, libraries, DHBs, Family Start providers, midwives, Government agencies and others, we help create a home environment in which children thrive, belong and achieve. Using books, games, activities, and storytelling as a medium, our programmes foster stronger families and a better society, for today and tomorrow.

In New Zealand more than 50,000 children are born each year.

We know that some children are born into families where parents are experiencing adverse circumstances, with limited resources to provide books and other resources, as well as potentially lacking the knowledge of how to build connection and oral language. Storytime Foundation’s programmes are designed to assist those families by providing key messages, books and resources to encourage families to bond and have positive and fun interaction and engagement to support their children’s ongoing well-being.

As well as services delivered into the homes of families in adverse circumstances, we deliver a programme into New Zealand prisons and Community Corrections facilities for those people in the care of the Department of Corrections to support their attachment with their children. This programme, known as Taonga mō ngā Tamariki (Treasures for our Children)

includes Early Reading Together® and Reading Together® and has been supported by Department of Corrections and Ministry of Education.

Every child is born ready to learn, however brain development and a baby’s capacity for learning and loving is heavily dependent on early life experiences. We know from national and international evidence that close parental interaction in the early stages of a baby’s development stimulates the frontal lobe and increases early learning opportunities.

Families participating in our programmes benefit from learning how to read with their child and the benefits of engaging with babies and young children through talking, reading, singing and playing. They learn more about what is happening to their child’s development, and especially frontal lobe activity, critical in the early years.

This year we continued delivery of an extension of the original Books for Babies programme to cover the first 1000 days of a child’s life and amalgamated our programmes for babies, toddlers, and older children under the programme heading “First 1000 Days”. Our goal is that every parent knows the importance of reading and storytelling with their children, and that New Zealand children grow up healthy, nurtured in homes rich in language and love.

Point and Associates have completed an in-depth evaluation of our Taonga mō ngā Tamariki programme. Some of the feedback has been remarkable and humbling: • “It has given us tools to make reading experiences more enjoyable. I used to dread it.” (Arohata Prison) • “I learned how the pictures relate to the words in a book for kids when they are learning to read.” (Huntly Community Corrections) • “We are not the teachers. We can put the magic and the fun into the learning for our kids.” (Auckland Women’s Correction Facility) • “My kids hate reading as much as I do, but they have loved these books and so have I.” (Northern Region Corrections Facility) • “There is just this big hole, this big blank in the years – doing the stuff dads do with their kids, doing all those normal things families do together. My kids won’t have that.” (Rimutaka Prison)

A strong bond between a caregiver and child during the first 1000 days significantly improves outcomes in life for the child and family unit (eg.,Bowlby, 1958; Growing Up in NZ 2014).

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Storytime Foundation Annual Report 2023

Key Facts In this time, over…

The Storytime Foundation has been supporting New Zealand families since 1997. Originally established in Auckland, we now support children and families in: • • • • • • • •

Northland Auckland Waikato Bay of Plenty Tairawhiti Taranaki Hawkes Bay Wairarapa

• • • • • • • •

78,000

families have benefited from our flagship activity ‘Books for Babies’

Manawatu/Whanganui Wellington and Hutt Valley Nelson/Marlborough Tasman Canterbury West Coast Otago Southland

300,000

Over books have been delivered to vulnerable children and their families

350

Over Well Child professionals have been trained to deliver Books for Babies

$4.5 million

Over has been raised to benefit some of New Zealand’s most needy children and families

Storytime Foundation equips parents to take time to read with, talk with and tell stories to their tamariki.

304,820

Total number of Storytime Books delivered all-time to 30 June 2023 325,000 Income 300,000

Targeted Income for TMNT Corrections programmes Other Income

275,000

Expenditure

250,000

Books - Purchase cost, insurance etc

225,000

Admin/Overheads Employee Related Costs

200,000 175,000

Income & Expenditure

150,000

01 July 2021 to 30 June 2023

125,000

27,914

100,000

Storytime Books delivered in the financial year from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023

75,000 50,000 25,000

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

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0 2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Storytime Foundation Annual Report 2023

The Importance of Reading with Tamariki Reading is an important protective factor and predictor of educational achievement and life outcomes. A multitude of studies show a strong association between reading, reading for pleasure, parental reading, and positive health, wellbeing and social outcomes in children, including children and tamariki living in communities facing disadvantage and inequality. Reading stories to children, in particular, is one of the most important indicators for the future succes of a child.

Inequitable access to books

Parents’ reading to children has been found to enhance early language comprehension and expressive language skills, listening, and speaking skills, and to foster enjoyment of books and reading in later life, as well as grow understanding of narrative and story (Crain-Thoreson and Dale, 1992; Weinberger, 1996, as cited in McCoy and Cole, 2011: 6). Kalb and van Ours (2012) found the relationship between early childhood reading and improved educational attainment to be “a direct causal effect from reading to children at a young age and their future schooling outcomes regardless of parental income, education level or cultural background”.

Yet literacy and engagement in reading are increasingly unequally distributed (Medina and McGregor, 2019). Not all children, young people and communities in New Zealand have the same opportunities to develop a love of reading. Access to books at home has been declining, mostly for Māori and Pacific families, with 18% and 24% respectively reporting ten or fewer books at home (Ministry of Education, 2017). There are also inequities in access to libraries, expertise, support and reading role-models. This is important as there is a strong association between the number of books in homes and reading scores, with those in Year 5 with ten or fewer books having a significantly lower reading score than those with more than one hundred books (Chamberlain, 2020).

There is a strong association between the number of books in homes and reading scores.

Sharing the benefits of reading and storytelling with parents

The OECD considers reading for pleasure to be the most important indicator of the future success of a child. It is an even more powerful factor in life achievement than socioeconomic background (OECD, 2002). Russell et al. (2022) in their analysis of Growing Up in New Zealand data, a large, nationally representative cohort, found that one-in-four children were classified as having suboptimal developmental health, with clusters of developmental health difficulties evident before entry to school. They argued that ameliorating inequities in early developmental health would be crucial to reducing health and educational inequities over the life course. In their study the only potentially modifiable predictor of ‘flourishing’ developmental health status that they could identify was daily parent-infant reading. They supported an approach, consistent with the Storytime programme, which took opportunities to promote ‘nurturing care’ strategies to families. In their view, this would ideally include gifting books directly to infants, a widely used strategy to promote early reading and which has been shown to boost multiple developmental outcomes among infants from disadvantaged communities (O’Farrelly et al. 2018).

Studies continue to show that many parents are not aware of the importance of reading and play in their child’s learning (Department for Children, Schools and Families, London, 2009).

Research in the context of NZ Corrections has found a marked change in reading patterns when parents are made aware of the benefits of reading. These include parents reading significantly more frequently to children, including babies. Moreover, whānau in community settings are more likely to use the library to take out books and attend story sessions, rather than predominantly visit the library to access free Wi-Fi as they had prior to participation (Woodley, 2017).

Conclusion Providing access to books for children under 5 years is important as it helps to develop early literacy skills, cognitive skills, language skills, exposes them to new ideas and knowledge, and promotes positive parent-child interaction. All of these factors can help to lay a strong foundation for future academic success and lifelong wellbeing.

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Storytime Foundation Annual Report 2023

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Storytime Foundation Annual Report 2023

Statement of Service Performance The purpose of this Statement of Service Performance is to report on the activities of Storytime Foundation Trust Board over the F2023 year.

Vision

Legal Name Storytime Foundation Trust Board

New Zealand children thriving in supportive home environments.

Type of Entity Charitable Trust, Registered Charity Registration No. CC22735

Mission

Certificate of Incorporation No. 1487114

The Storytime Foundation Trust is committed, in partnership with Plunket, Tamariki Ora providers, Family Start, libraries, Ministry of Education, Corrections facilities and staff and others to building the ongoing wellbeing of children and their families by increasing bonding through reading, talking and more positive engagement in the home.

Entity Structure • Under our Trust Deed the number of Trustees shall be no less than three nor more than six. We currently have five trustees including a Chairman • Our operations are managed by a CEO with part time staff and consultants • Volunteers support us with our activities throughout the year • We operate collaboratively with a number of agencies

Outputs Storytime Foundation delivers books, information and a range of resources to families in adverse circumstances with children from birth to 10 years of age, to improve early bonding and attachment through our programmes.

Main Sources of Cash and Resources Storytime Foundation receives income from a variety of philanthropic Trusts, Foundations and donors to purchase books and other resources, and to cover operational expenses, and income from Government contracts related to the delivery of programmes to people in the care of NZ Corrections, disadvantaged families and families impacted by Family Harm.

Research indicates that a strong bond between a caregiver and child, particularly during the first 1000 days, significantly improves outcomes in life for the child and the wider family unit.

It also has positive effects on literacy. We therefore: • deliver books and information into the homes of New Zealand families experiencing adverse circumstances to enhance early attachment, build cohesive families and improve social outcomes • teach parents to take time to read to their child - this remains a key determinant of bonding and attachment

Main Methods Used to Raise Funds Funds are raised through application to philanthropic Trusts and Foundations and by negotiation with Government Departments.

Reliance on Volunteers and Donated Goods/Services We work collaboratively with Plunket, tamariki ora agencies, Family Start providers, DHBs, Police, Corrections services, Ministry of Education and others.

These agencies assist with the delivery of our services.

Our trustees are all volunteers.

We are the only agency delivering Books for Babies directly into the home through well child providers.

Participation rates in our programmes over the past year is as follows: 2023

2022

New Families Enrolled

5,813

4,068

Children Participating in Our Programmes

over 12,000

over 10,000

27,914

19,892

Books Delivered

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Storytime Foundation Annual Report 2023

Additional Information: Feedback In addition In FY2023 we achieved the following:

We receive feedback from participating parents regarding the benefits to them of participation, and we contracted an independent research company, Point & Associates, to undertake a formal evaluation of our programmes.

1. Enrolled 5813 new families 2. Had over 12,000 children participate in our programmes 3. Delivered 28,572 books 4. Delivered hundreds of resources such as games, pencils and crayons, brochures, fridge magnets, table mats and useful information to support parents as they work closely with their child 5. Delivered a programme to people in the care of Corrections to help improve the bond between parents and tamariki, and to reduce recidivism 6. Delivered care packs with books and resources to children with a parent in the care of Corrections and to families that were impacted by a family violence incident.

Point & Associates evaluated the Taonga mō ngā Tamariki programme in depth in June 2021 and a copy of the evaluation has been provided to the Minister of Corrections and Ministry of Education. There is also a copy on our website www.storytime. org.nz . Point completed a cost-benefit analysis in October 2022 and a Ministry of Education funded independent evaluation of Taonga mō ngā Tamariki was completed by Carswell Consultancy in September 2022.

The feedback has been very positive, parents feel that the programme has benefited them and their child, they report that they feel more confident as parents in reading and talking with their child.

Outcomes We provided opportunities for vulnerable families with newborns and young children—particularly Māori and Pasifika—to engage with their communities, develop confidence and parenting skills critical in the early years, and provide a better future for their children thereby reducing disparities in social and developmental outcomes. Our programmes target the highest need families to improve bonding between parent/caregiver and child, to encourage the families/whanau to understand and better value reading and talking to their children, and to become more aware of the benefits of providing a safe, nurturing environment.

The cost benefit analysis report told us that: ‘Cost benefit modelling shows that The Taonga mō ngā Tamariki Programme is capable of creating significant value. Expressed as dollar benefits, every dollar invested is likely to return at least $3.45. Benchmarking from similar programmes shows the range could be between $10.34 and $51.70 for each dollar invested.

There is also credible evidence that it has the potential to interrupt intergenerational offending.

Given the low cost of the Programme, relative to the cost savings from avoided prison terms, a favourable dollarreturn per dollar-spent ratio can be achieved even if there are relatively few examples of success.’

We support families to understand child developmental needs using books as the catalyst, to achieve bonding, child development, early language and family literacy outcomes.

We support parents prior to leaving prison to better understand their child’s development and provide resources for parent and child to share.

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Storytime Foundation Trust Board

Special Purpose Financial Report For the Year ended 30 June 2023

Note: Read in conjunction with Audit Report and Notes to the Financial Statements.

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Note: Read in conjunction with Review Report and Notes to the Financial Statements.

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Note: Read in conjunction with Review Report and Notes to the Financial Statements.

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Note: Read in conjunction with the Review Report

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Note: Read in conjunction with the Review Report

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Note: Read in conjunction with the Review Report

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Note: Read in conjunction with the Review Report

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Note: Read in conjunction with the Review Report

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Tel: +64 07 571 6280 E: tauranga@bdo.co.nz www.bdo.nz

BDO TAURANGA Level 1, 525 Cameron Road, Tauranga 3110 PO Box 15660, Tauranga 3144 New Zealand

INDEPENDENT ASSURANCE PRACTITIONER’S REVIEW REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF STORYTIME FOUNDATION TRUST BOARD Report on the Financial Statements Report on the Financial Statements We have reviewed the accompanying financial statements of Storytime Foundation Trust Board that comprise the statement of financial performance, and the statement of cash flows for the year ended 30 June 2023, the statement of financial position as at 30 June 2023, and the statement of accounting policies and other explanatory information. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Public Benefit Entity Simple Format Reporting- Accrual (Not-for-profit).

Trustees Responsibility for the Financial Statements The Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the Public Benefit Entity Simple Format Reporting- Accrual (Not-for-profit) and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of the financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Practitioner’s Responsibility Our responsibility is to express a conclusion on the accompanying financial statements based on our review. We conducted our review in accordance with International Standard on Review Engagements (New Zealand) (ISRE (NZ)) 2400, Review of Historical Financial Statements Performed by an Assurance Practitioner who is not the Auditor of the Entity. ISRE (NZ) 2400 requires us to conclude whether anything has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the financial statements, taken as a whole, are not prepared in all material respects in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. This Standard also requires us to comply with relevant ethical requirements.

A review of the financial statements in accordance with ISRE (NZ) 2400 is a limited assurance engagement. It consists primarily of making inquiries of management and others within the entity involved in financial and accounting matters, applying analytical procedures, and evaluating the sufficiency and appropriateness of evidence obtained. A review also requires performance of additional procedures when the practitioner becomes aware of matters that cause the practitioner to believe the financial statements as a whole may be materially misstated.

The procedures performed in a review are substantially less than those performed in an audit conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (New Zealand). Accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion on the financial statements.

We believe that the evidence we have obtained in our review is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our conclusion.

PARTNERS:

Fraser Lellman CA

Janine Hellyer CA

Paul Manning CA

Donna Taylor CA

Linda Finlay CA

Michael Lim CA

BDO New Zealand Ltd, a New Zealand limited company, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. BDO New Zealand is a national association of independent member firms which operate as separate legal entities.

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Conclusion Based on our review nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that: a) The financial statements do not present fairly, in all material respects; • The financial position and its financial performance and cash flows for the year then ended; and b) The financial statements are not prepared in accordance with PBE Tier 3 standards.

BDO Tauranga 15 January 2024 Tauranga New Zealand

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Storytime Foundation PO Box 18 340, Glen Innes, Auckland 1743 Contact: admin@storytime.org.nz | 021 252 8720 www.storytime.org.nz