Our Language is like Food: Can Children Feed on Home Languages to Thrive, Belong and Achieve in Early Childhood Education and Care?

Abstract

An action plan for vulnerable children to ensure each one thrives, belongs and achieves is the focus in Aotearoa/New Zealand. UNICEF NZ challenged the Government, educators and community agencies to identify ‘what is working well’ for vulnerable children. By way of response this paper draws on a qualitative study that examined the ways in which five bilingual teachers used their languages in early childhood education settings where English is the medium of instruction (English-medium). The rich narratives of a Burmese bilingual teacher working with children from refugee backgrounds, generated through spiral discourse ‘conversations’, exemplify ways home language use can nourish trusting relationships, restore safe spaces and affirm bilingual identities for teachers and children from refugee backgrounds. The paper argues that a linguistically responsive pedagogy can counter deficit discourses regarding the use of home languages for learning; part of ‘what is working well’ for children with refugee backgrounds to thrive, belong and achieve in any early childhood education settings.