Three Northern Beaches Council long day care centres will now offer languages other than English programs for pre-schoolers.

Council General Manager Planning, Place & Community David Kerr said Brookvale, Dee Why and Narrabeen centres have been granted access to the acclaimed ELLA Program.

Brookvale is adopting Mandarin, Dee Why Italian and Narrabeen Spanish.

“We know that adults who have learned to speak two or more languages have a number of developmental advantages.

“They have better general intelligence, better memories and score higher on maths, reading and vocabulary.

“They are also shown to be more empathetic and better listeners, as well as being more creative and better organised,” Mr Kerr said.

The ELLA program uses tablet-based language apps specifically designed for pre-school children and come with a suite of support services including a helpdesk, forum and newsletters.

Educators do not need any background in the language to run the program.

Children, who participate in ELLA gain language experience and practice appropriate for their age, enjoy play-based learning experiences and gain IT skills by using the tablets.

They also have the opportunity to speak and sing in other languages and engage with other.

“So bring your children down so they can say Ni Hao, Ciao or Hola to a new language,” he said.

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