The latest research from New Zealand's Education Review Office (ERO) paints a concerning picture. Oral language difficulties are affecting children's learning long before reading and writing begin. This has significant implications for literacy, well being, and academic success.

Over many years of working alongside teachers, school leaders and education communities, I have spent a great deal of time listening. I listen to the way teachers explain ideas, invite responses and build conversations. I listen to the questions students are asked, the time they are given to think and whose voices are most often heard.

WellComm is a practical oral language screening toolkit that helps kaiako identify children who may need additional support and, importantly, provides the resources to begin targeted intervention straight away.

When a child struggles to communicate, their emotional, social, and physical worlds can begin to unravel. However, when language flourishes, wellbeing follows. By viewing early learning through Te Whare Tapa Whā, we can clearly see how language and literacy uphold and safeguard the holistic wellbeing of tamariki.

As an empathy researcher and educationalist, I often get asked, "When should we actually start teaching empathy?" Is it in the primary classroom? Is it through formal high school leadership programs? Or is it at the Early Childhood Education (ECE) level?

Why Oral Language Matters Long before children learn to read and write, they learn to communicate through oral language. Oral language includes listening, understanding, vocabulary development, storytelling, conversation skills and self expression. Oral language includes listening, understanding, vocabulary development, storytelling, conversation skills, and the ability to express ideas, thoughts, and feelings. These skills form the foundation for literacy, learning, relation