|
FCP7: Program provides families and staff a description about how children and schoolagers are encouraged to use their home language in play and learning experiences.
A child’s home language shouldn’t just be acknowledged during cultural celebrations. It should be encouraged throughout the entire day, whether it’s within the classroom, the hallways, and through activities or interactions throughout the day. When we use children’s and schoolagers’ home language (both verbal and non-verbal) it provides many benefits to children. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather some key factors:
Language Skills and Social Skills: When children can continue to use their home language alongside their new language, this can help make the process of learning English faster and easier.
Positive Self-Image and Authentic Self: When home languages are valued and celebrated within the school environment, this sends a powerful message to children about their identity. This helps children to develop a positive self-image and to understand that they can be their authentic selves.
Sense of Belonging: By valuing a child's home language, educators are communicating that they value not only the child's language but also their culture as a whole. This gives the child a sense of belonging and confidence to learn.
Builds Relationships: When you create a warm, nurturing environment, one that welcomes children and families, you send the message that you value and respect them, their language, and their culture. This helps build solid relationships between educators, children, and their families.
Emotional Support: Using a child’s home language and incorporating their culture within the classroom and through activities provides a positive message that gives social-emotional support to young children.
Continuity Between Home and School: When schools communicate with families in their home language, this ultimately helps families to better support their children, and creates a continuation between home and school.
This indicator requires that the program has a description about how children and schoolagers are encouraged to use their home language in play and learning experiences. A description is something that is written that the program follows. This could be a policy, statement, plan, or something else. The description needs to be shared with both staff and families.
More information about this indicator can be found in the Quality Indicators Guidance Document and Quality Indicators FAQ.
| 
