Research and evidence-base

The impact of books in homes

At Book Dash our work is big and bold – and it’s supported by a significant body of evidence.

Research shows that owning books from a young age can change the trajectory of a child’s life. When children own books, it enables and increases book sharing and responsive parenting, which boost early developmental outcomes.

More about why ownning books makes a difference

As they move through life, children with books at home perform better across school subjects, complete more years of schooling, and access better jobs in adulthood.

Books make the biggest difference in the most disadvantaged households. Each additional book can lead to greater benefit – especially in homes with just a few books to start, like in South Africa. Ultimately, increasing the number of books in homes is a powerful and cost-effective opportunity to reduce inequality and promote economic development.

The global research base

Our publication, Books in Children’s Hands and Homes: an Evidence-Based Literacy Intervention, pulls together the leading research on early book ownership: how it impacts a child’s development, and what opportunities this offers to address current social, educational and economic challenges in concrete, effective ways.

How to use this report

How to reference this report

Local evidence

The Yizani Sifunde project was designed to improve preschool children’s early learning outcomes. It combined abundant book ownership (Book Dash) with an early literacy programme (Wordworks) and community activations (Nal’ibali). The project was implemented in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, in highly under-resourced contexts.

An external evaluation found the 8-month intervention to be highly effective for boosting early learning outcomes. Key takeaways were

1. Books predicted outcomes: children with more books at home had better early learning skills, executive functioning and early numeracy.
2. At-risk children improved most: Children who were “falling far behind” at the start of the project gained an additional 9 to 13 months of learning.

Internal project monitoring data found that:

1. Books prompted shared-reading: After receiving books, parents read with children more often, whether or not they attended parent workshops.
2. Books extended the project’s reach: 78% of children who received books shared them with siblings or neighbours.

See some key insights below, or download the full infographic. Learn more about the project, the findings and access the full evaluation reports.