The State Government is investing more than $4 million to expand the Words Grow Minds initiative, which provides resources to parents and caregivers to help give babies and young children the best start in life.

The Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care handed down by Royal Commissioner Julia Gillard last year recommended the expansion of the program - the state's largest campaign to nurture baby and toddler development. 

An initiative of the Department for Education’s Early Learning Strategy, Words Grow Minds provides messaging to parents, carers and service providers about how best to support a child’s development in the first 1000 days.

It is being rolled out across the state following successful trials in Mount Gambier and Whyalla.

The program is backed by the latest research on early childhood development, with input from practitioners, literacy experts, researchers and service providers who collaborated to create the campaign.

The colourful characters Bobble and Bib (pictured) will lead the campaign with simple, consistent messaging around the life-changing benefits of talking, playing, reading and singing to babies and toddlers.

Words Grow Minds is backed with free resources and tools for parents, carers and service providers, including 21,000 baby book packs and a new website packed with ideas.

Led by Kate Ellis, the CEO of Raising Literacy Australia and Chair of the Early Years Taskforce, Words Grow Minds has been created to reverse a worrying trend facing South Australian young children.

Data from the Australian Early Development Census shows nearly one in four South Australian children are starting school developmentally vulnerable on one or more developmental domains.

Ms Ellis said that the community could not “ignore the fact that South Australian children’s development is behind the national average before they even start school”.

“The research is clear, with up to 85 per cent of brain development occurring in a child’s first three years, increasing positive interactions with young children will improve outcomes throughout their entire lives.

“From the Glenelg tram to the Roxby Downs library, childcare centres in the South East and everywhere in between, Bobble and Bib will be spreading the word to talk, play, read and sing to your baby.”

For more information, visit Words Grow Minds.