Wide Bay kids say bonjour to language

27 November 2018

Wide Bay kids say bonjour to language learning 

Wide Bay’s youngest learners will say bonjour, hola or konnichiwa to learning foreign languages, with an expansion to the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program.

ELLA uses a play-based digital application to teach preschool children a second language.

Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien said the expansion of the ELLA program into more preschools and primary schools will give many more local kids an opportunity to learn a new language including Indonesian, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese and Hindi.

The Liberal Nationals Government is providing an additional $11.8 million to expand the ELLA program into more preschools and establish a trial in foundation to Year Two classrooms.

“Learning foreign languages equips children with skills that will help them throughout their whole lives, with studies showing kids who learn a second language perform better in literacy and numeracy during their schooling,” Mr O’Brien said.

“More than 20 preschools in Wide Bay are among the almost 2,500 preschools currently participating in the program across Australia.

“I encourage all preschools and primary schools across Wide Bay to find out more information about the ELLA program and take up this opportunity to add the program to their teaching plans.”

The Government has provided $27.5 million to the ELLA program since 2014.

More information on the trial, including expressions of interest, is at education.gov.au/early-learning-languages-australia

The program will be offered through the following preschools: