1.1 Explain how to identify which languages are used by children and young people in the work setting. It is important to gain information regarding a child’s exposure to languages during the initial meeting with parents or carers as soon as the child starts nursery. It is vital to gain as much information possible regarding their culture, background and family. Interact with the child, and see in which language they respond. If the child has older siblings, ask them in which language their sibling communicates to them.
Ask the parents if they have previous records (if the child has attended other settings), as these records can assist in building a more in depth understanding about the child’s communication abilities. It is important that all this information be recorded during the new admission of the child and placed in the child’s personal folder. This folder needs to be kept up to date and in a central location so that all staff members can access it if and when necessary.
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.
There should always be a process for collecting information and a format for recording it when a child joins the setting, it is imperative to find out which languages are spoken at home and how fluent the child is in each. Ask the parents if they speak the same language to the child or do each speak a different language, does the child communicate with ease in their mother tongue, or do they mix languages, what is their communication ability (i.e. don’t speak at all, single words, or full sentences). Does either of the parents speak English? After collecting the information during the first meeting, build on it through one-one interaction with the child, observation, games and activities that encourage the child to