Being fluent in two languages may help to keep the brain sharper for longer, a study suggests. Researchers from York University in Canada carried out tests on 104 people between the ages of 30 and 88. They found that those who were fluent in two languages rather than just one were sharper mentally. Writing in the journal of Psychology and Ageing, they said being bilingual may protect against mental decline in old age. Previous studies have shown that keeping the brain active can protect against senile dementia.

Education in general can bestow benefits on cognitive function in later life Professor Clive Ballard, Alzheimer’s Society Research has shown that people who play musical instruments, dance or read regularly may be less likely to develop the condition. Other activities like doing crosswords or playing board games may also help.

Language skills

This latest study appears to back up the theory that language skills also have a protective effect. Dr Ellen Bialystok and colleagues at York University assessed the cognitive skills of all those involved in the study using a variety of widely recognised tests. They tested their vocabulary skills, their non-verbal reasoning ability and their reaction time. Half of the volunteers came from Canada and spoke only English. The other half came from India and were fluent in both English and Tamil. The volunteers had similar backgrounds in the sense that they were all educated to degree level and were all middle class.

The researchers found that the people who were fluent in English and Tamil responded faster than those who were fluent in just English. This applied to all age groups. The researchers also found that the bilingual volunteers were much less likely to suffer from the mental decline associated with old age. “The bilinguals were more efficient at all ages tested and showed a slower rate of decline for some processes with aging,” they said. “It appears…that bilingualism helps to offset age-related losses.”

The UK’s Alzheimer’s Society welcomed the study. “These findings, that early development of second language may improve a specific aspect of cognitive function in later life, are very interesting,” said Professor Clive Ballard, its director of research. “It is a possibility that the acquisition of a second language in early childhood may influence the process of the development of neuronal circuits.

“However, the results of this particular study need to be interpreted cautiously as they were comparing groups of individual of different nationalities, educated in different systems. “It is also well recognised that education in general can bestow benefits on cognitive function in later life.”

This is not the time to give you a post-mortem on the Taranaki-King Country by-election.  That’s already been done by the so called “experts” in the media. We have learned some lessons from the by-election, and we are now focused on the future, with a commitment to continuing to deliver on our promises to the people of New Zealand. Next Thursday will see the delivery of the second Budget of this historic Coalition Government. Obviously no details can be given except it will be a big and exciting Budget – a Budget For The Times, and one geared to take us into the 21st Century.

We will tackle head-on the significant issues facing our society.  Issues like moing from dependence on the State to independence.  The Budget recognises that no-one wants to be permanently dependent on the State. For that reason the Budget will commit more money where it will have the biggest effect – more for Health, more for Education, more for Police and more to support the Coalition Government’s employment strategy.

There is good news for the economy and the business community, which will prove many of our critics wrong once again.  Critics like the Employers Federation which has criticised the Government for lacking vision, leadership and direction. They have claimed we have inhibited business growth, knowing full well that the Government has been actively working on lowering taxes, reforming employment and welfare, reducing compliance costs, reforming ACC and reducing bureaucracy.

The figures in the Budget will show that we have maintained a stable ship in a sea of uncertainty.  We have weathered the Asian storm well and we will prove the forecasters wrong. In short, the Budget will reinforce our message that New Zealand First, and the Coalition Government, is delivering on its promises and that includes early childhood education, but back to that in a minute. First, here’s a few of the things we’ve delivered since we formed the Government back in December 1996.

q    Low inflation.
q    A lower exchange rate to help farmers and exporters.
q    $1.752 billion dollars extra for public health over three years.
q    Free doctor

?s visits and prescriptions for children under six years
old.
q    $1.25 billion dollars extra for education over three years.
q    $55 million extra for early childhood education.
q    Pay parity for primary teachers.
q    Abolition of the superannuation surtax.
q    Removal of income & asset testing for senior citizens.
q    250+ extra police and 250 more to come.
q    Minimum wage increased to $7.00 with second increase to come.
q    Community wage and employment reforms.

That is a great record of achievements that would NOT have happened without New Zealand First, and we are going to build on these things in the Budget. Now back to early childhood education.  This is an area which we are committed to developing because our young children are our greatest resource. We intend to give our children a running start in life, by nurturing their education and health in the early years, as these are critical to their long-term success. Research shows quality education in the early years impacts on a child’s success at school, at university, in the work force and in society. As the late American clergyman Hosea Ballou (1771-1852) once said, “Education commences at the mother’s knee, and every word spoken within the hearing of little children tends towards the formation of character.”

It’s important that we lay down the right foundation for our children to build on.  It’s no good building a house on sand. That is why we have committed $872 million to early childhood education over three years, $55 million more than in the previous three years.  And that’s why we have introduced free doctors visits for children under six. Healthy bodies have, in turn, a healthy regard to the rigours of learning.

We know the formative years of a child’s life are vital to their future success. Take a walk through Paremoremo Prison and you will see what happens to children whose health and education needs are neglected.  You’ll find most prisoners share the common problems of hearing deficiency and illiteracy.

As a boy growing up in a country village in the far North I remember seeing other children at school with yellow gunk weeping from their ears because of untreated infections.  That is the kind of problem we are addressing now through our policies on health and early childhood education giving our children a running start in life. Some of the money we got for education will be used to buy more resources for special education for under sixes, and some will be used to develop new education centres and the teaching skills needed to run them properly, which is the type of work that most of you here are involved in.

Earlier this week New Zealand First MP and Associate Education Minister Brian Donnelly launched the Early Childhood Development Strategic Plan, which has the slogan “Right From The Start.” One of the main goals of that plan is to ensure a high level of quality in early childhood education and parenting. This will be achieved through various programmes such as “The Strengthening Families Strategy” which aims to break inter-generational cycles of poverty within families.

By co-ordinating better access to Health, Welfare and Education services, we can alleviate some pressure on families and help them to create a positive environment for their children. Strong families will result in less unemployment, less crime and a more cohesive society. The Awhina Matua parent education programme is another initiative aimed at promoting stronger families and parent involvement in educating children. Under this programme, a project worker works with families who have no access to early childhood education services by setting up parent groups and introducing them to mutual support networks  such as the local iwi, marae groups, the Maori Women?s Welfare League, early childhood services, community health workers and schools.

Awhina Matua is carried out in communities and brings together parents of similar backgrounds and needs.  When the group being helped becomes self-sustaining the project worker withdraws. The Code of Social Responsibility is another Government initiative aimed at strengthening our families. The Code is about addressing the cycle of poverty and abuse that affects many New Zealand families. We can no longer turn away from child abuse and crimes against children, in some spineless hand wringing disavowal of the facts. That’s why we have devised a Code that challenges us to face up to these realities and to promote the values that this country was founded on. Values like fairness and freedom to pursue a better life for ourselves and our children.

That’s what the code is about families with limited incomes aspiring for the same things for their children that all parents do regardless of race and socio-economic status. That is not only the basics like clothing on their backs, food on the table and a roof over their heads, but also a good education, future prosperity and personal happiness. We all want those things for our children and we freely acknowledge that for some families those things come easier than others.  Greater personal and financial sacrifice are demanded by some families to make these dreams a reality for their children.

Another initiative we have begun is the Family Start Service.  This initiative is one of the single most important initiatives undertaken so far by the Coalition Government. Under this programme Health, Education and Welfare agencies work together, sharing expertise and networks for the benefit of individual families. The Early Childhood Development Unit is also involved in the programme to ensure a focus on the well being of the child. Government has also turned its attention to increasing the participation rates of under represented groups such as Maori and Pacific Islanders in early childhood education.

Last year, the Early Childhood Development Unit established 16 playgroups for Maori in the Waikato and further playgroups were established for Arabic, Ethiopian and Korean ethic groups. Many of you here today will be interested in the Government’s commitment to continuous improvement and quality staff in early childhood education. We are reviewing the licensing points system for early childhood services. Currently the system is very complex and difficult to work. We are getting rid of some of the anomalies to make requirements for qualifications fairer.  Once the points system has been sorted out, we can move on to looking at ways to make those regimes better as well. Then there is PAFT, Parents as First Teachers, which is co-ordinated by the Early Childhood Education Unit.

PAFT is based on the belief that parents are their children?s first and most important teachers.  The programme helps parents to participate more effectively in their children?s educational development. These are just some of the many initiatives the Government is pursuing to nurture our children and these initiatives reflect the need to balance the objectives of access and quality in early childhood education. While we have provided the money and the platform for future development for early childhood education, we rely heavily on the commitment of professionals like you. It’s important that you as owners, managers and teachers in childhood education centres, do not underestimate the importance of your work in shaping the hearts and minds of future generations. In the words of William A. Ward: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher
inspires.”