CYPOP 23 1.1,1.2

CYPOP 23

1.1 - Explain how to identify which languages are used by children and young people in the work setting
1.2 - Explain how to collect information on a child or young person’s use of their languages at home and in the work setting

It is necessary to find out information regarding a child’s background and their exposure to languages before they attend the setting. This can be done through a number of ways: information in registration forms, asking the family, interaction with the child and records from previous settings.

Before a child begins to attend my setting, the parents or carers are required to fill out an information pack about their child which includes questions regarding any languages spoken and which languages the family use at home when communicating with the child to give us a better idea of the child’s language abilities, taking into account the age and development level of the child.

As my setting is an international setting, we cater for families from around the globe, meaning that many of the children attending will speak English as a second or even third language. This makes it all the more important to find out this information as early as possible to allow us to better accommodate the child and their individual needs.

Through communication with the parents we can easily find out what languages the child is exposed to at home and whether both parents speak to the child in one language or whether they each speak a different language. We can also ask which language their child prefers to communicate in and how fluently or whether they mix the languages. We can also use this open communication to keep regularly updated about the child’s progress at home and in the setting. All this information gives us a better insight as to the child’s development and abilities.

Information such as this should be collected at the very beginning, before the child attends the setting and should be added to and updated regularly using information gathered from the parents, parent – teacher meetings and through observation of the child during their time at the setting. All this information is stored in the child’s personal folder and can be easily accessed by those permitted to do so.