Evaluation of Taonga mō ngā Tamariki

In November 2021, an Evaluation of Taonga mō ngā Tamariki (which is based on the Early Reading Together® and Reading Together® Te Pānui Ngātahi programmes) was made available on Education Counts here.

The following excerpts are from the Evaluation of Taonga mō ngā Tamariki:

Taonga mō ngā Tamariki is an intergenerational intervention designed to foster positive whānau-child interactions, provide access to books in home and heart languages and grow children’s enjoyment of reading.

Taonga mō ngā Tamariki is delivered by the not-for-profit Storytime Foundation to whānau in the care or under the management of Ara Poutama Aotearoa | Department of Corrections. It is based on the Early Reading Together® and Reading Together® Te Pānui Ngātahi programmes.

When coupled with a programme of child-centric visiting the intervention deepens whānau connections in a positive way, decreases stress for children, and creates the conditions to improve educational and wellbeing outcomes. The international evidence is that such interventions reduce recidivism.

Corrections staff and programme participants interviewed said Taonga mō ngā Tamariki is one of the most successful programmes the Department of Corrections offers. It is making a difference.

2022 Update

In 2022, a Cost Benefit Analysis of Taonga mō ngā Tamariki was made available in PDF on Education Counts, along with an A3 PDF summarising the Cost Benefit Analysis - quoting from the Conclusion:

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 dollar-return per dollar-spent ratio can be achieved even if there are relatively few examples of success.

Quoting from Page 1 of the A3 PDF summarising the Cost Benefit Analysis:

A small investment in project costs can deliver significant social and economic benefits.

Additional Information:

• Parenting programme expanded
• Feedback on Fathers at country's toughest prison bond with their children in parenting programme