Grangegorman ABC Programme

DOODLE DEN AFTER-SCHOOL LITERACY PROGRAMME

Coordination: Dublin 1 & 7 School Completion Programme
Contact:           Conor Casby    T: +353 (0) 1 8874412      Email: dublin7scp@gmail.com

 

Doodle Den is coordinated by the D1&D7 School Completion Programme and is run in 4 local primary schools within the Consortium by 20 teachers and Youth Workers; 60 children are participating.

 

Programme

Doodle Den is an after-school programme which uses an evidence-based curriculum featuring a balanced literacy framework.   The programme is distinctive in that it focuses on improving children’s literacy through a wide range of activities in an after-school setting using a balanced mix of work, fun and games.   It has a child, parent, and family component and places a strong emphasis on parental engagement. 

Using gold-standard research techniques, Doodle Den has been proven to improve literacy outcomes for children in a disadvantaged Dublin community.  An independent evaluation of the programme has shown that Doodle Den led to:

 

  • Improvements in children’s overall literacy ability including word recognition, sentence structure and word choice
  • Improved concentration
  • Reduced problem behaviours in school
  • An increase in family library activity
  • More reading by children at home

 

Doodle Den was piloted in 2008-2011 and has since been implemented in various locations around Ireland.