Strengthening early literacy practice: Exploring story sharing in diverse, equity-funded kindergartens

White et al. (2025) provide compelling, practice-based evidence for the power of story sharing in diverse, equity-funded early childhood settings. Drawing on research in culturally and linguistically rich kindergartens, the report demonstrates how intentional storytelling practices support early literacy development, oral language growth, identity affirmation, and a strong sense of belonging. The authors highlight the importance of multimodal expression, culturally responsive pedagogy, and relational teaching in strengthening both engagement and learning outcomes.

For the Telling Your Stories Project in Australia, this research offers timely and regionally relevant validation. It shows that structured, inclusive story-sharing practices are not simply enrichment activities, but foundational literacy work that builds voice, agency, and equitable participation in early learning environments. The report provides both theoretical grounding and practical insight to support implementation, advocacy, and scaling of culturally grounded storytelling approaches across diverse Australian contexts.