This work will examine CLIPS programs as they are presently operating in Victoria and suggest a model which would enable such programs to derive more benefits from the communities which support them, and to allow the communities to participate in those benefits. There are four distinct aspects to Community Languages In Primary Schools (CLIPS) programs which are often confused, leading to lack of clarity in the requirements and objectives set by the school community. A CLIPS program can serve either as a culture or a language program or it can serve as both at the same time if it is structured carefully enough. The question of language maintenance or language development focusses first on the time of commencement of the program. For a child whose first language is not English, a maintenance program must by definition begin on the first day of schooling. For a second language development program, the optimum time to introduce the language other than English to the child is a matter for debate and depends on the ultimate style and objectives of the program. In Australia we have a need for all four aspects of a CLIPS program (cultural / linguistic / maintenance / development). However, these aspects need to be emphasized in slightly different ways for different children.