How Daisykins Supports EAL Children
Enhancing learning opportunities for children with English as an additional language
At Daisykins Day Nursery in Rugby, we are proud to welcome all children into the setting and ensure that each child has the best possible learning opportunities whilst in our care. Guaranteeing that our provision matches the development and learning needs of each child is vital and we are pleased with our ability to offer support to children who may be new to or have English as an additional language.
The appointment of our fantastic EAL (English Additional Language) Coordinator, Simona, has enhanced the setting's ability to support those children who have little or no understanding of English. The expertise of practitioners is paramount to successful learning for children who do not speak English as their first language and we are filled with pride to know that our team promote a positive, welcoming ethos and attitude through-out the setting.
Simona, who was born in Slovakia, is bilingual, speaking Slovak, Czech, Polish and English. She supports EAL children's learning through a variety of ways, often using visual aids to promote their understanding of unfamiliar words and concepts. These visual aids include pictures, dictionaries, games and flashcards, all of which the children thoroughly enjoy using. Simona often uses Widgets, a pictorial language of symbols that support children's understanding and their developing language. The use of Widgets is implemented throughout the nursery, particularly benefiting children whose first language is not English. Our extremely talented practitioner, Simona, uses the fun approach of singing to encourage children to develop their language further.Using 'WatsEnglish', a worldwide project that features songs, books and much more, is a firm favourite of the children's. Learning new topic related songs on their Kids YouTube channel is always enjoyable for the children, covering a wide range of themes including the weather, colours and parts of the body. Children of all ages love listening to stories and looking at books. At Daisykins we believe it is important to encourage this, supporting EAL children's access to stories by providing dual language books. When reading topic related books, we strive to provide a copy that includes text in their home language, as well as in English, on each page. This encourages the children to maintain their understanding of their first language, as well as promoting their development of English, often referring to the pictures to complement their understanding.Not only does Simona support the children's learning of English, but also celebrates their home languages, celebrations and traditions. Click here to read about how the setting celebrates various cultures