Ministry of Education

Early Years New Zealand Sign Language

Early Years New Zealand Sign Language Acquisition service is an introduction to New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) and the deaf community available to (primarily) families and whānau, and (secondary) to Early Learning Centres (ELC) who have a deaf and hard of hearing child aged 0-5. This includes organising a minimum of monthly (or fortnightly, in as demand requires) networking opportunities and/or workshop in NZSL. Services may be delivered face to face or virtually, depending on the preference of the family, whānau, or ELC.

Services are delivered to approximately 300-400 families each year.

The supplier will employ language models specialised in NZSL acquisition and communication development, including qualified New Zealand Sign Language tutors, and support them in the facilitator role in ways that ensures a national delivery of effective, family centred, strengths-based services through a service delivery network in collaboration with the Ministry’s Advisor on Deaf Children (AoDC), Cochlear Implant Programme, and Ko Taku Reo, Deaf Education New Zealand.

Department/Business Unit: Te Pou Taunaki Learning Support