The Federal Government will expand its successful Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program into more preschools and schools in Fairfax.
Member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien encouraged Fairfax preschools and schools to get on-board and give their students the opportunity to learn a second language.
“The Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program has already been very successful in getting local students engaged and interested in learning a language,” Mr O’Brien said.
“There are already 44 preschools along the Sunshine Coast engaging almost 1,500 pre-schoolers through a series of interactive applications to introduce them to the basics of learning a second language like Mandarin, French and Spanish.
“I encourage 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 Fairfax students to develop language skills early in life and then carry that through their later school years and beyond.”
Minister Birmingham said the Turnbull Government’s commitment of an additional $11.8 million would see the number of preschools participating double to 5,000 and extend the program into 300 primary schools reaching 30,000 school-age students across Australia.
“We’ve already seen some great results from the ELLA program, with more than 80,000 children in about 2,500 preschools across Australia being introduced to a second language through the use of our digital apps, “Minister Birmingham said.
“ELLA is about getting kids engaged and interested in learning a language from an early age, expanding their horizons and hopefully getting them to follow through this study as they progress throughout their education.
“Exposure to another language and culture can also have significant developmental benefits on children – for example it 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 preschools and schools on the Sunshine Coast 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: https://www.ella.edu.au/
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Fairfax Pre-schools participating in the ELLA program:
Woombye Early Development – Japanese
The Range Community – Spanish
Mount Coolum Day Care Centre – Japanese
Mountain Creek Early Childhood Centre – Japanese
Brookes Street Nambour Kindergarten & Preschool Assoc Inc – French
Gumnuts Childcare Centre – Spanish
Dalton Drive Early Learning – Italian
Sunshine Coast Early Learning Maroochydore – Japanese
Community Kids Yandina – Spanish
Community Kids Yandina – Italian
Goodstart Early Learning Nambour City – Italian
Headland Park World of Learning – Italian
Kuluin Early Learning Centre – Japanese
Suncoast Little Learners – Italian
Sunkids Bli Bli – Japanese
Kids Plus Coolum Child Care centre – Japanese
Little Sprouts Early Learning Centre Camp Flat Road – French
Sunshine Coast Early Learning Riverside – Japanese
Little Village Early Learning – Japanese
SMARTLAND Boutique Early Learning – Indonesian
Bella Grace Early Learning Centre Brightwater – Chinese (Mandarin)
Goodstart Early Learning Nambour Doolan Street – Spanish
Grammar Early Learning Centre Forest Glen – French
C&K Cotton Tree Community Childcare Centre – Spanish
Memorial Park Community Kindergarten – French
C&K Nambour Childcare Centre – Japanese
Goodstart Early Learning Buderim – Hindi
Little Sprouts Early Learning Centre – Italian