Launching into Learning is a new initiative and commitment to the years prior to formal school. 120 schools are currently offering learning opportunities for families with young children from birth to 4 years.

These schools are taking on a greater role in engaging and forming relationships with families before children come to school.

All schools are implementing strategies and programs to support early literacy and school readiness as a priority.

Schools are deliberately focussing on the needs of their community and making connections and forming partnerships with other groups, services and agencies in the area.

Early years

Children’s experiences in the earliest years of their life are critical to their ongoing development. These experiences have a significant impact on their future achievements at school and the extent to which they are able to take advantage of opportunities later in life.

Many of the education, health and wellbeing problems we see in adults including obesity, mental health problems, poor literacy, unemployment and welfare dependency have their origins in pathways that begin much earlier in life, often in early childhood.

Families

The family environment is most important because young children develop through their relationships with others. In the early years this means parents and caregivers.

For all children, the quality of the home learning environment is more important for intellectual and social development than parental occupation, education or income. What parents do is more important than who parents are.[1]

Early intervention

We know that support and intervention before children begin school is likely to be more effective in achieving success than trying to do things to help children ‘catch up’ once they are at school.

The benefits of providing early education opportunities to children from birth are uncontested.

Research shows that 75% of a child’s brain develops during the first five years of their life, and half of all intellectual and development potential of child is established by age four.[2]

[1] Sure Start - Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project: 2004
[2] McCain and Mustard Reversing the Real Brain Drain: Early Years Study 1999