This week we were lucky enough to have Melinda from Waardi's LAPS team join us to work with our early years classroom and how we can support literacy education to best support the needs of our students. Melinda was joined by Merrilee and Simone from the CEWA Office in Broome, who have been travelling together as a team to the desert schools in the East Kimberley to provide support and education on the LAPS program and its implementation within early year classrooms.

The LAPS program emerged to meet an identified need in early years literacy education in the Kimberley and aims to tailor best practice literacy teaching to Kimberley school students. LAPS was developed by Waardi in consultation with schools, Monash University and other literacy specialists. It is tailored to suit the unique needs of students in the Kimberley. In 2014 the program began as a pilot, and a trial began in 2015. Initial positive outcomes led to the program pilot being continued into 2016 and 2017. LAPS has continued to partner with Monash University to examine and report on the effectiveness of the program, and it continues to evolve based on emerging research and ongoing outcomes.

We are excited to be taking part in the LAPS program in 2023 and cannot wait for the team to come out and join us again!