By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
EARLY childhood education and care services in Dandenong are among 21 other centres in Victoria taking part in a ground-breaking communication and language trial in babies and toddlers.
Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos launched ‘Every Toddler Talking’ on Friday 8 April, a research trial the Victorian Government has invested $1.2 million in over three years.
Under the trial, early childhood educators will be equipped with new evidence-based strategies for helping children under three build language and social skills, no matter their abilities.
Educators will work closely with specialist speech pathologists who will tailor support to respond to children’s individual needs.
Evidence from last year’s phase one of the trial found that educators working with allied health professionals were uniquely positioned to support all children to be effective communicators.
The findings are now being tested in phase two of the project, which involves 21 early childhood education and care services and seven community health services across the state.
The Victorian Government has partnered with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Melbourne to conduct the trial.
Early childhood education Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne Patricia Eadie advises that communication is important from day one.
“Children develop important language skills from birth, so how we communicate with children matters enormously and from very early on,” Assoc Prof Eadie said.
“There is a large body of evidence that tells us how important responsive interactions are between toddlers and adults for their language development as well as their social and emotional well-being.”
Research shows by 22 months, a child’s language development can predict outcomes at age 26 and by age two 75 per cent of a child’s brain growth has occurred.
