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Speech Pathology 2030 - making futures happen
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First 5 Forever is a universal family
literacy initiative with the aim of
providing strong emergent literacy
foundations and life-long learning
capabilities for all Queensland children
under 5. First 5 Forever draws on
the latest neuroscience and early
childhood development research in
identifying the urgent need to create
a positive cultural shift and more
confidence in learning and literacy in
our communities; enabling parents
and caregivers to better understand
their role, and what they can do to
support their children by encouraging
everyday play, shared reading,
learning, and language rich interaction
and environments at home.
First 5 Forever is delivered in
partnership with Queensland public
libraries and centrally coordinated
by the team at State Library of
Queensland. State Library of
Queensland employs a consultant
speech pathologist as a key
contributor to the initiative, recognising
the profession’s rich understanding
of language and emergent literacy
in both the home and community.
Bringing speech pathology knowledge
to a universal platform is a key
outcome of the role.
Libraries are already significant
providers of children’s services.
Through the inclusion of speech
pathology in First 5 Forever,
Queensland libraries are exploring new
opportunities for language and literacy
development both within libraries
and through community service
providers with the aim of embedding
language and literacy development
into all children’s programs and
linking families to existing community
resources to prevent duplication.
First 5 Forever hopes to demonstrate
the role of speech pathologists in
universal programs and inspire the
development of similar initiatives
across the country. A lasting legacy
would be a system where services
work together to plan and respond
to what benefits families, with
parents receiving timely and realistic
information from multiple sources
around the importance of shared
reading, singing, talking with and
playing with their children from birth.
Leading the way...
First 5 Forever, State Library of Queensland