The Andrews Labor Government is helping about 14,000 pre-schoolers and their families in Regional Victoria improve their maths skills through a new early years program.
Let’s Count helps early years educators engage families and their children in counting, measuring and identifying patterns. The program helps parents and carers introduce maths to their children in a fun, simple way that can be incorporated into everyday life.
The program will now be available to early childhood educators in Bendigo, Echuca, Horsham, Lakes Entrance, Mildura, Sale and Swan Hill. This builds on a number of locations announced last year including Morwell, Shepparton and Wodonga.
About 500 educators in funded kindergartens will participate in the program over three years.
Let’s Count was developed by Charles Sturt University Professor Bob Perry, Monash University Associate Professor Ann Gervasoni and The Smith Family to help children develop skills and a positive attitude towards maths before they begin primary school.
The knowledge and skills that children develop in the early years are crucial for later in life.
In 2015, a longitudinal evaluation of the Let’s Count program showed it dramatically improved children’s maths skills, with children who participated in the program performing better across a range of mathematical tasks than children not involved in the program.
We are making Victoria the Education State – this starts with giving every child a strong start in life.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos
“Let’s Count gives early childhood educators and parents simple and effective ways to make maths more interesting and fun for kids.”
“Thousands of families living in regional Victoria will benefit from this vital program that gives our kids the best start in life.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020