Let's count: Early childhood educators and families working in partnership to support young children's transitions in mathematics education

Let’s Count is an early mathematics program designed by The Smith Family and researchers from Charles Sturt University and the Australian Catholic University as a means of assisting parents and other family members to help their young children (aged 3– 5 years) play with, investigate and learn powerful mathematical ideas. Let’s Count involves early childhood educators in the role of mentors to the parents and family members of the children in their settings, providing assistance in noticing and exploring mathematics in everyday life. In 2011, I was responsible for developing Let’s Count into the form of a distance education subject for offer to students enrolled in an early childhood teacher education degree at Charles Sturt University, as a means of sustaining the Let’s Count initiative and achieving a wider impact on the early childhood community. In this chapter, I report on a project which followed up with former participants in the subject, and the families with whom they have worked, to ascertain the success of the Let’s Count program in bringing together early childhood educators and families to support positive transitions in children’s mathematics education. This chapter explores the ongoing effects of educators’ and families’ engagement with the program, and shares examples of Let’s Count activities in prior-to-school, school, family and community contexts.