A new playgroup has been launched in Werribee for children from Burmese families.
Plans are also in place to launch similar early childhood education programs for families from the Horn of Africa and India.
A recent state government grant of $15,000 will see the project start with the funding of a bilingual worker to work alongside a trained playground facilitator to deliver the Smalltalk program to parents of young children.
The program aims to improve learning for children living in disadvantaged families.
Wyndham council city life director Jenny McMahon said the municipality had a large number of residents from multicultural backgrounds who would benefit from the program’s support and advice.
“Having staff in the group from the same culture helps to make the groups culturally relevant and reduces the language barrier, which encourages parents’ participation and confidence,” she said.
Werribee MP Tim Pallas said the state government wanted all children across the state to have the best start in life.
“Supported playgroups give parents the skills and tools they need to help their kids succeed, and give children valuable opportunities to learn and develop,” he said.
Data from 2011 reveals there are 192 Burmese-speaking families living in Wyndham, 3186 speaking Hindi and 2047 speaking Punjabi.
