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Opinion: Strengthening early numeracy learning

Media releases

18 March 2015

Industry and government leaders are urging more young Australians to consider careers in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, mathematics and engineering. Talent in these disciplines will be critical drivers of our nation’s innovation and future successes. They’ll also provide Australia with a key competitive edge, globally.

There’s a risk we’ll be left behind, however, unless more young Australians engage in STEM disciplines and ultimately adopt them as a career choice.

The most recent international assessment of the maths literacy of 15 year olds showed two in five Australian students were below the agreed baseline. As a nation, we need to ensure students have the resources they need to better develop their maths skills. But when is the best time to introduce mathematical concepts to children?

In the lead up to starting school, there’s often a lot of focus on developing children’s literacy. But what about their maths skills?

Over the last four years The Smith Family has been trialing an innovative early numeracy program for young children, Let’s Count.

We designed the program with Professor Bob Perry of Charles Sturt University and Associate Professor Ann Gervasoni from Monash University, to support the mathematical knowledge and skills of three to five-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds as they prepare to start school.

Thanks to the generosity of our corporate partner the Origin Foundation, who provided $1.6 million for the program’s expansion and evaluation, we’ve seen Let’s Count reach 8,500 children, 4,500 parents and over 300 educators. And the outcomes have been excellent.

The program’s three-year evaluation, released today [Wednesday 18 March] shows that when young children receive early exposure to maths, including counting, measurement, patterns and spatial awareness, there is a significant improvement in their maths skills.

Central to the success of Let’s Count, is the way it’s delivered – through valuable training, support and learning resources, families and early childhood educator are more confidently supporting the maths development of the children in their care.

Just over half (54%) of children who participated were able to count to 20 by the end of the program compared to 37% of children of the same age who weren’t involved. Two-thirds (66%) of the children could order three one-digit numbers, compared to less than half (47%) of the children who did not participate. And there are many more great results.

The involvement of parents is critical. Research shows that reading often takes precedence over maths among families. If parents don’t have the experience or confidence to engage with their young children in maths activities, or feel their children won’t find maths interesting, it takes a backseat. This is particularly the case for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In the first year of school, around one in four children from Australia’s most disadvantaged communities aren’t on track in their mathematical development. And the problem is, if children start behind in maths, it’s likely they’ll stay behind for the rest of their years at school. This is a dire prospect.

Having personally met hundreds of the nation’s poorest families, my experience is they are as determined as anyone to see their child succeed. That’s why a good education is incredibly important to help the children of these families manage the demands of our increasingly high-tech world.

It’s why I’m delighted that Let’s Count is showing such promising results for children in the communities where we work.

And, of course there’s great scope for the program to be adopted much more broadly to support many more thousands of children across the country.

The fact is an educated population is the economic backbone of any country. And why we have to take every young Australian with us on our journey to become a knowledge-led nation.

If Australia is to develop a more numerate population, better able to take advantage of global opportunities in the STEM area, and have citizens who can drive our nation’s economic successes, we need to develop and sustain children and young people’s skills and interest in mathematics.

This may seem like a big ask, but there are organisations out there already working hard to meet the challenge.

Take a successful program like Let’s Count and with the backing of governments, the education industry and broader stakeholders, we can make a huge difference.

Not only to the experience of a child at school and the educational pathways they choose, but also to the work that sustains them as young adults. And when they become parents themselves, they’ll be a whole lot more confident to support their own child’s mathematical development.

I believe we have a great opportunity here.

Dr Lisa O’Brien
Chief Executive Officer
The Smith Family

Media contacts:

Andrew Dickson | National Media Manager (National) - 0421 285 529 | andrew.dickson@thesmithfamily.com.au
Carla Horton | Senior Media Advisor (QLD & WA) - 0423 618 776 | carla.horton@thesmithfamily.com.au
Reid Jermyn | Media Advisor (VIC, SA & NT) - 0412 803 566 | reid.jermyn@thesmithfamily.com.au
Ben Chenoweth | Senior Media Advisor (NSW, ACT & TAS) - 0413 346 934 | ben.chenoweth@thesmithfamily.com.au

The Smith Family is a national children’s education charity that helps young Australians experiencing disadvantage to create better futures for themselves through harnessing the power of education. We partner with around 800 Australian schools and work with over 162,000 children and young people experiencing disadvantage access our education support programs to help them overcome . For more information, visit thesmithfamily.com.au