Talking Matters programmes have significant impact on children’s language readiness for school.

That is the key finding of an internal impact evaluation that dives deep into the effectiveness of our initiatives in fostering school-ready language skills among children who benefit from our partnerships with ECE.

The study found that Talking Matters activations with a cluster of Whakatāne schools had driven meaningful and positive change in ECE teacher practice, contributing to a language-rich environment for preschoolers.  The ECE teachers found their Talking Matters experience affirming and motivating, and most elements of practice change had been sustained long after the programme itself had been delivered. The effect of children’s language experiences in ECE had been noticed by teachers at the schools receiving these children as well as by the children’s own parents, who remarked on their appropriate language skills when they got to school.