CEH was hired by the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) to produce a glossary of early childhood terminology with simple English definitions. This 'lexicon' wpould be used by interpreters when working with service providers and families with low English proficiency.
For this project, CEH consulted with maternal and child health nurses, preschool field officers, parenting services staff, Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECIS) staff, kindergarten staff and interpreters. Through thse consultations, we established a list of terms that required a simple English definition to assist in clearer and more consistent communication.
Initially 687 terms were identified for consideration. Through a process of establishing criteria for inclusion and exclusion, the project advisory group reduced the lexicon terms to 115.
DEECD staff then supplied CEH with official definitions of each term, to be rewritten in simple English.
Currently the simple English terms are being approved by senior management within DEECD to ensure that definitions are consistent with the Department's standards. When this process has been completed, each definition will be focus-tested with interpreters and the community.