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An ability to understand numeracy, like literacy, is an important skill for children to participate successfully in school.
Numeracy also equips children for life beyond school, helping them in further study or training, personal pursuits and participation in the workforce and the wider community.
The prevalence of difficulties in numeracy or mathematics alone (when not found with other learning difficulties) is estimated at approximately one in every five cases of learning difficulties.
Although symptoms of difficulties in mathematics may appear as early as the first two years of school, numeracy problems are seldom diagnosed before the end of the second year or during the third year because sufficient formal mathematics instruction has usually not occurred until then in most schools.
Unfortunately research has found that there are significantly fewer courses to help children with numeracy problems than those struggling with literacy.
Building on the successful model used in Reading for Life, Counting for Life was created in 2006, with the financial support of Genworth Financial.
Counting for Life is a volunteer community reading program to help children having difficulty with numeracy at primary school.
Volunteers from businesses or the community become number buddies to selected children in Years 2 to 4 and visit them at their school to help enhance children’s number skills, self-esteem and motivation. Each volunteer works with a child one-to-one for 45 minutes every week for between 10 and 15 weeks.
The children who have participated in the program had some wonderful feedback including, “It helps you to be so smart”; I’m not getting confused anymore and I know some more answers” and “When I see her every Thursday and she sees me she does maths and it helps me in my homework and stuff like that and it’s fun”.
In 2009, with the generous support of Citi Australia, Learning Links will trial Counting for Life Online. 75 children in Sydney and Melbourne will be paired with Citi employees to complete Counting for Life via the internet and webcam.
For more information on Counting for Life contact Learning Links’ Head Office on (02) 8525 8222 or the Manager, Reading and Counting for Life (02) 9570 3266.
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