As the Federal Member for Forde, there are more than 90 childcare centres within my electorate, so it’s no surprise that sometimes I get asked to visit some of these centres and chat to the children there.
Often, I get asked to explain the meaning of the Australian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Flags that I present to them, and other times the visits are purely to chat to the staff about their centre operations.
But the most rewarding and enjoyable task of all is when I get to read the children a story.
I believe that reading is vital for our kids to learn young.
Because the love of reading opens the door to adventure, helping our children to learn new skills such as speech development and also vocabulary.
One of the most interesting statistics is that children who read for more than 20 minutes every day can learn upward of two million words annually.
But those who read for just five minutes a day take in just 282,000 new words every year. And honestly, don’t those statistics just speak for themselves.
Last week, I spent some time with the children and teachers from Avenues Early Learning Centre at Kimberley Park.
We all sat down and read a book together called ‘We Are All Equal’.
I was very impressed at how engaged the children were during story time and how many questions they asked.
It has been proven that kids that are read to more often, have improved listening skills, and they also experience stronger emotional connections with their loved ones, and gain a lifelong love of reading.
And that is my wish for every child in my electorate.
That they gain a lifelong love of learning from a young age.
So, if you’d like me to come along to your childcare centre, why not get the staff to reach out to me and request a visit?
There is nothing I enjoy more than visiting centres in my own electorate.
Just send an e-mail to my office via bert.vanmanen.mp@aph.gov.au and my staff will get back to you.
