Thursday, 18 August 2022

Ministers statements: early childhood language program

Ms STITT (Western Metropolitan—Minister for Workplace Safety, Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep) (12:09): At the heart of the Andrews Labor government’s Best Start, Best Life reform is the commitment that every child, no matter their background, should get the very best start in life. Last week I had the absolute joy of joining my friend and colleague Sonja Terpstra on a visit that showcased the creative ways that our kindergartens are implementing language programs right across kindergartens in Victoria. Our $26.2 million language program supports 8000 Victorian children to learn a second language across 220 kindergartens, and it supports the employment of dedicated language teachers right across our state.

Maroondah Pre-school is one of the centres benefiting from this program. Every three weeks Maroondah Pre-school, accompanied by their education leader, Zee Hewitt—what an absolute superstar Zee is—and her team, visit elderly residents at Donwood community aged care. It is all part of an intergenerational program where children get the opportunity to showcase their Auslan skills as well as engage in play-based learning alongside new friends. Learning another language not only is great for boosting kids’ learning and development but also strengthens empathy and understanding.

The intergenerational program is creating a sense of belonging within the local community, which is only strengthened by links that already exist. Teaching student Tiani’s grandmother is a resident, and some children have grandparents who are residents or staff at Donwood. It is clear that it is not just the children that benefit, it is also the residents, for many of whom this is a social event that brings great joy. One of the elderly residents said, ‘I feel young again’. This is just one of the many ways our government is giving kids the very best start in life.