16 August 2000 Media Statement

Minister launches new early childhood resource

The Associate Minister of Education, Lianne Dalziel, today launched a new early childhood resource that will assist all early childhood centres in New Zealand to be accessible to children with special education needs.

"Including Everyone: Te Reo Tataki" consists of three videos and an information folder and focuses on curriculum support to assist centres to include children with special education needs into their programmes.

"This is a resource that will prove invaluable to all early childhood centres in understanding children with special education needs, as well as the needs of their families," Lianne Dalziel said today when launching the resource at PlayHouse, the Parliamentary early childhood centre.

"Including Everyone: Te Reo Tataki" was put together by a team of educationlists led by Joy Mepham, from Massey University, and lead writer Kathy Hanson-White, who were at the launch today.

Lianne Dalziel said the completed product shows the commitment Joy and Kathy and their teams made to developing this resource. "It is excellent in terms of its presentation and invaluable in terms of the advice and knowledge it contains," she said.

The resource has three main themes: inclusion, early identification of special needs and partnership.

Lianne Dalziel said that all three themes stress the basic principles of special education. "The principles that all children, irrespective of ability can participate in the early childhood curriculum, that early identification is likely to lead to early intervention, which is best for a child's development, and, thirdly, that parents are essential in developing successful partnerships to assist young children with special education needs."

"Including Everyone: Te Reo Tataki" will be sent to every early childhood centre in New Zealand. A further resource is currently being developed for all Kohanga Reo around the country, the Minister said.

ENDS

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