New South Wales (NSW) is facing significant and concerning declines in childhood literacy levels, falling behind both national and OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) benchmarks. These declines put the state at risk of significant and long-term negative social and economic consequences.

An adult population with advanced literacy skills is essential to NSW in 2023 and beyond. Our knowledge-based economy, rapid technological development and complex social environment all demand strong communication and information synthesis capabilities in the workforce and in the community. These skills support economic growth and address social and political challenges.

The lion’s share of the solution to NSW’s looming literacy crisis lies in early childhood literacy interventions with preschool aged children. Children who start school without foundational early years language and literacy skills continue to struggle academically and socially into adulthood. Both neurological and educational research makes it clear that birth to age five is the optimal window to build a lifelong foundation for language and literacy.

There is a wealth of national and international research evidence that public libraries play a key role in developing these early literacy skills.

Providing high-quality early literacy activities to NSW children through public libraries — community spaces that are free, welcoming and accessible — is a critical and cost-effective strategy to redressing the State’s literacy declines.

This report analyses the most up-to-date data on childhood and adult literacy to show the extent of the looming literacy crisis facing NSW, and to outline the consequences for the state of not urgently addressing declining literacy standards.

The report also synthesises research into early literacy library programs, including internal evaluations and feedback from library workers from across NSW, to outline the central role that NSW libraries should play in an early literacy strategy for the State.