Enhancing Early Math Learning Through Cultural Inclusivity and Strong Relationships

Early learning settings in Australia are diverse, and include children and families from many different social, cultural and geographical backgrounds, with a range of family structures, abilities, identities, learning styles and languages.

 

This diversity is one of the many things that contribute to a wide range of opportunities for young children in all areas of the early learning curriculum, including mathematics, which offers many different opportunities for educators to connect mathematical concepts with children’s experiences in everyday life in an inclusive and respectful way. 

 

Recently the team behind Let’s Count reviewed the program in light of the updates to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and advances in pedagogy and practice. 

 

The 18 month review was conducted in partnership with The Stronger Smarter Institute and Peridot Education, and had one central theme at its core: to empower early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals to realise that all children are competent and capable mathematicians, and that all children can be powerful mathematicians.

 

Part of the review centred on ways in which the Let’s Count pedagogies and practices could be made more culturally inclusive, and on ensuring that Let’s Count can be implemented in a culturally safe way for all so that children and families, irrespective of their culture.

 

This included a special focus on ensuring that the revised content of Let’s Count reflects and supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge, and the knowledge found in all cultures in their ways of belonging, being, thinking, knowing and doing, while also celebrating their rich cultures and identities.

 

The revised Let’s Count pedagogies and practices are more culturally inclusive, ensuring that educators can implement the program in a culturally safe way to include all children and families, irrespective of their culture.

 

To emphasise the importance and value of building respectful and trusting relationships with both the children and their families, the revised version of Let’s Count has a focus on the development of strong, positive, collaborative, and respectful partnerships among family members, communities and early childhood educators or other community professionals.

 

These collaborative relationships between families, communities, ECEC and allied professionals are central to Let’s Count, given they provide the context in which children grow, learn, and develop.

 

Registration and access to Let’s Count is free of charge. For more information and links to all aspects of the Let’s Count program please visit the Let’s Count webpage here.