Co-designing a shared book reading environment at a community hub

Area of Science:

• Community Health
• Early Childhood Education
• Family Support Services

Background:

• Community hubs serve vulnerable families and offer platforms for early literacy initiatives.
• Shared book reading is crucial for developing early language and literacy skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To co-design an environment supporting shared book reading within a community hub.
• To engage families, staff, and community partners in the design process.

Main Methods:

• A four-phase co-design process was employed: interviews, focus groups, implementation, and experience evaluation.
• User experiences with shared book reading were explored to inform design changes.

Main Results:

• Changes included book organization, guidance on shared reading techniques, borrowing information, and increased book-related activities.
• Participants reported satisfaction with their involvement in the co-design process.

Conclusions:

• Co-design fostered collaborative, valued, and community-owned changes to support book reading.
• Community hubs are effective settings for engaging vulnerable families and promoting early language and literacy development.