Camden Haven preschool children will again have an exciting opportunity to learn another language this year using play-based mobile tablet apps.
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Federal Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie visited St Joseph’s Early Childhood Services in Laurieton on Wednesday, July 18.
He said the preschool had been successful in obtaining a place in the Coalition Government’s Early Learning Languages Australia programme.
“Last time when I visited here the children were learning Chinese Mandarin and today the centre is able to provide local children with the opportunity to experience the Italian language through the program,” Dr Gillespie said.
“The Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program has already been very successful in getting local students engaged and interested in learning a language.
“There are already 13 preschools in our electorate engaging hundreds of young children through a series of interactive applications to introduce them to the basics of learning a second language like Mandarin, French and Spanish.
“I encourage local parents to talk to their preschools and schools about getting involved in the expansion of the ELLA program.
“Learning a second language opens up a whole new world of opportunities in this increasingly global economy and we need more of our local students to develop language skills early in life and then carry that through their later school years and beyond.”
Dr Gillespie said exposure to another language and culture can also have significant developmental benefits on children and has been linked to better English and problem solving skills.
“We’re also expanding the language options to include Korean, Vietnamese, Turkish and German.
“These new languages mean local preschools and schools can pick from 13 of the world’s most common languages to give children a taste of the world and set them up with skills that will set them up for the future.”
Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) uses fun and play-based digital applications to engage children in language learning and is currently available in Hindi, Modern Greek, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Indonesian, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish.
For more information on ELLA visit www.ella.edu.au
