Book Ahead, a government-funded programme aiming to strengthen links between libraries and early years settings has successfully engaged more than 16,000 settings, according to the report by the Museums and Libraries Association (MLA).
The evaluation found that 71 per cent of settings were from the private, voluntary and independent sector. Where details had been provided, researchers found that almost half of the settings were new contacts for libraries.
The report found more than 130,000 children had been engaged by the programme, feedback from which encouraged libraries to restructure their services to meet the needs of early years settings, for example with extended book loan periods.
The MLA recommended that libraries and early years settings should work in partnership to sustain the impact of the programme.
A second evaluation found that the £5m Boys into Books programme, targeted at five- to 11-year-old boys, engaged 330,000 boys.
School minister Vernon Coaker said: "The million new books distributed through these programme have made a real difference - and not just in the short term. They have led to a real change, reviving local libraries through partnerships with their early years settings and primary schools in their area."
Roy Clare, chief executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, said: "The MLA would urge local authority children's services to encourage the partnerships forged in both these programmes so that these findings can be replicated and more children encouraged to discover the magic of reading."
