Early childhood
This section provides guidelines on how NZSL can be integrated into early childhood education. Te Whāriki is the basis for consistent curriculum programmes. For further guidance about curriculum planning in early childhood education, refer to Te Whāriki.
Te Whāriki is founded on the following aspirations for children:
to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.
Te Whāriki, page 9
Each community to which a child belongs provides opportunities for new learning – opportunities for children to experience and reflect on alternative ways of doing things, make connections across time and place, establish different kinds of relationship, and encounter different points of view. Communicating through NZSL is part of that experience and learning.
Children develop their language through their learning experiences, in their families and communities as well as in early childhood centres. The weaving together of New Zealand Sign Language and Deaf culture in these experiences contributes to relevant and contextualised language-rich environments for children in the early childhood years, whether they are first-language users or are learning NZSL as an additional language.
Children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places, and things. This learning is best managed through collaborative relationships in contexts that are safe and inclusive while also encouraging risk-taking, creativity, and exploration. Through active participation, within these environments, children can develop their knowledge of NZSL and their ability to use it in a range of situations. At the same time, they will develop confidence in what they know and can do.
Te Whāriki sets out the principles, strands, and goals that are appropriate for the early childhood years.
The principles
There are four broad principles at the centre of the early childhood curriculum.
Empowerment
The early childhood curriculum empowers the child to learn and grow.
Holistic development
The early childhood curriculum reflects the holistic way children learn and grow.
Family and community
The wider world of family and community is an integral part of the early childhood curriculum.
Relationships
Children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places, and things.
Te Whāriki, page 14