At a time when schools are grappling with how to build cultural understanding, confidence and communication skills from an early age, language education is increasingly being recognised as a powerful place to start.
One program that has been helping children learn a new language from their first years of school is the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program. Launched by Education Services Australia in 2014, ELLA uses play-based, digital and culturally rich experiences, acting as a bridge between cultures and helping children see themselves in a broader world.
Today, ELLA reaches more than one million children across over 5,000 early learning services, supporting exploration of up to 13 languages aligned with the Australian Curriculum – and this year it is expanding into Foundation to Year 2 classrooms, with free registrations now open for primary schools nationwide.
Building on a decade of proven success in early childhood settings, the expansion into F–2 will give primary school language teachers access to 11 immersive, easy-to-use apps and supporting classroom resources for each language. The move opens the door for more children to build confidence, curiosity and intercultural understanding from their first years of school.
Taking the hassle out of language education
Amanda Macdonald, Early Learning Specialist at Education Services Australia, said the ELLA trials highlighted some of the challenges preschools and schools face when introducing languages in the early years including limited teacher confidence, lack of resource materials and constrained timetables.
“ELLA has been purposefully designed to address these challenges. It provides language teachers with culturally relevant resources,” Macdonald told The Educator. “The ELLA apps are fun and easy to use, allowing teachers with no prior language teaching experience to learn alongside the children.”
Macdonald said this play-based approach to learning a new language aligns with the Australian Curriculum Foundation-Year 2 and the Early Years Learning Framework, ensuring language learning complements existing classroom practices.
“With minimal technology requirements and a rich suite of resources for both educators and families, ELLA fosters cultural awareness and engagement in the joy of learning a new language,” she said.
“ELLA’s 10-year anniversary reflects a commitment to making early language learning not only possible but enjoyable and sustainable for preschools and primary schools.”
Support for all teachers, every step of the way
Macdonald said the expansion of the program into primary schools is also designed to make ELLA accessible and effective to use for all teachers including those in teaching out-of-field.
“The ELLA apps are easy to use; teachers can engage in a co-learning approach with the students. Teachers have all the skills they need to scaffold the learning experiences from the apps into other aspects of their teaching and learning program,” she said.
“When schools register with ELLA, teachers can access professional learning webinars and on-demand learning topics. The ELLA website contains a host of getting started resources including guides, posters and games aligned to the Australian Curriculum and ready to use.”
If confidence dips, the ELLA helpdesk is available via phone and email, Macdonald noted.
“There is also an online booking system for personalised pedagogical professional learning or technical or administrative support,” she said. “All supports are online and available nationwide, ensuring rural and remote teachers have equal access.”
Embedding multilingualism into everyday school life
When asked what she thinks needs to change at a school leadership level to make early language learning stick, not just as a program, but as a valued part of a school’s culture, Macdonald pointed to the importance of embedding languages into the broader educational vision and daily practices of schools.
“Early learning of languages needs to become a valued part of school culture and its importance for both cognitive development and cultural awareness communicated,” she said. “Multilingualism becomes part of school identity.”
Investing in quality programs like ELLA and using the resources to create a language-rich environment can help to champion language learning to the school community and families, Macdonald said.
“Learning about language and culture should be viewed as fun and social, schools can celebrate cultural diversity, embed it in practice and share success stories, so it is not just a curriculum requirement.”
levelling the language learning playing field
Macdonald said ELLA can reshape how language learning is perceived from the very start of schooling.
“The digital aspect of ELLA provides equity by giving every child, no matter where they live, access to rich cultural experiences,” she said. “It has empowered teachers, even those out-of-field, to feel confident in creating inclusive classrooms.”
Most importantly, said Macdonald, ELLA can “help build a culture where diversity is celebrated, multilingualism is normalised, and cultural learning is embedded in school life.”
“ELLA can help teachers move toward more connected, inclusive, and globally aware programs.”