Multi-lingual Storytime – a first for Northern Bay
Our Place Northern Bay successfully initiated its first ever Multi-lingual Storytime session to engage young learners from cultural and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
Identifying a need in the local community, Our Place Northern Bay Community Facilitator Tanya Kane worked tirelessly to deliver the initiative for local families from our multicultural community.
Drawing on the skills and expertise of staff at Northern Bay and partners within the broader community, the Multi-lingual Storytime session featured the languages Karen, Hindi and English, to engage with the local community.
The popular children’s book, Walking through the Jungle, by Debbie Harter, was chosen to be read in all three languages.
Early Childhood educator Kami from Korayn Birralee Family Centre, Playgroup Bi-cultural Worker Corina from Cultura and Geelong Libraries Children’s Librarian Zoe were the star readers on the day.
“It was a great opportunity to participate in Multi-lingual Storytime as it was amazing to hear some words in different languages and observe the audience responding to known words in their own language,” Kami said.
“The children were really engaged. They were trying to make sounds and copy actions. It was an interactive session and provided the opportunity to connect with different languages and communities,” she said.
Northern Bay Community Facilitator Tanya Kane said the event captivated the children and their families. This is an important part of the work Our Place does to engage with families, build relationships and connect them with high quality learning, and at the same time, cut through the complexity of services to provide access to what they need to thrive, Tanya said.
“Witnessing the joy and excitement on the faces of the children and families present in the room was truly a highlight. It was heart-warming to see them actively and enthusiastically participating and engaging with the familiar words and songs from their home languages. This led to a real sense of belonging in the room.
Tanya Kane, Northern Bay Community Facilitator
“Witnessing the joy and excitement on the faces of the children and families present in the room was truly a highlight,” she said.
“It was heart-warming to see them actively and enthusiastically participating and engaging with the familiar words and songs from their home languages.
“This led to a real sense of belonging in the room and due to the success of this event, we look forward to running another Multi-lingual Storytime in the future.”
For more information about the next Multi-lingual Storytime session and other events, please click here.