In The Field
Victorian Government invests in language program to boost additional languages
Freya Lucas
Jun 15, 2023
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The Victorian Government has allocated $23.9 million in the Victorian Budget 2023/24 to the Early Childhood Language Program, which supports four-year-old kinder programs to deliver three hours each week in a language other than English at no cost to parents.
Currently operating in approximately 200 services, the investment will allow the program to expand, giving thousands more children across the state the experience of learning in another language at kindergarten.The program has been running since 2019, with around 8,000 children participating thus far. Twenty languages are being delivered by qualified language teachers and supported by dedicated early learning educators – including Auslan and five Aboriginal languages – with more languages to come as demand grows for these programs.
The languages are incorporated into everyday kinder learning experiences to give children meaningful opportunities to use and practise them independently,such as through stories, painting,singing, dancing and music.
Other languages currently on offer are Arabic, Chinese, Chin Hakha, French, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Karen, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese.
“Learning another language unlocks a world of opportunity for our littlest learners, with benefits that will last a lifetime – from school to work and beyond,” said Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep Ingrid Stitt.
To find a kindergarten offering a language program, please see here.
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