Bilingual Infant Daycare in Berlin-Wilmersdorf
Ages: 1 – 3 year olds
Daycare Timings: Monday – Friday (8:00 am till 5:00 pm)
Number of children per day: 15 children
Educators: Three teacher per group:
- One or two english speaking educators
- One or two german speaking educators / team leader
- Interns
Recognizing that the acquisition of independence plays a significant role in the development of a healthy personality, we support and encourage the initiative of the child. We create a safe and protective environment which encourages the child to make discoveries and bolsters his or her self-confidence. We base our work-philosophy on that of the Budapester Educator and pediatrician Emmi Pikler, born 1902 in Vienna, who said: “A child can only freely train his body and spirit, when one leaves him the space and time for it.”.
These are some of our relevant educational principles:
- Patience and laissez-faire should shape our child-care. We educators know neither haste nor pushiness.
- By creating a balance between intimacy and individual space we allow the self-esteem and self-assurance of the child to grow.
- The child should be conciously allowed to process all his new discoveries without being rushed.
- We educators give the child a sense of security and trust via our exclusive attention and affectionate care.
- We touch the children gently and respectfully.
- All the important daily activities (dressing, undressing, eating, sleeping, changing of diapers etc.) are announced by the educator in advance.
- During the maintainance/care activities, the child receives the undivided attention of the educator.
- We educators do not unnecessarily intervene or rush the pace of the child’s development. Rather, we stand by the child in the case that our help is required.
Promotion of the Child’s Language Acquisition Skills
We educators create an atmosphere in which the child feels accepted and at home – and therefore speaks freely and joyfully. We show our interest in him and his linguistic expressions. We take the time to play with the child and tell him stories and read to him. We listen to the child and let him express himself. The group singing supports language acquisition skills even more.
The English Language
In our institution we offer a bilingual orientation towards german/english. We support the studies which show that: The younger the child, the easier it is for him to learn a foreign language. Both the English-speaking and the German-speaking educators communicate with the child exclusively in their respective languages (the educator’s language). Since the children are more unrestrained as infants, they can absorb the strange sounds and syntax much faster and more naturally.
The daily activities in our institution are predominantly bilingual. Your child does not yet consciously comprehend that this language is not the language of his parents. As a result of this we do not push one language over the other, rather we go about it in a natural way. The foreign-language speaking educators speak and sing slowly, clearly and in a friendly and grammatically correct manner. Your child will, right from the beginning, start to associate the melody of each language with the respective educator.
Depending on whether the child belongs to a single-language or bilingual home, the educator speaks to the child without thrusting upon him a strange foreign language. But very soon, your child will be able to understand complete sentences spoken by the educator without any problems. It is, however, natural for the child to first attempt to answer in the language that is closer to his own native language.
We claim, that with our bilingual child care, we are making a contribution to european development. Everyday the child will experience various cultures and languages, and because of this will develop a tolerance for foreign cultures.
Early Musical Education
Music makes everything better. Children come into this world with an inherent musical tendency. Infants express this with their body, all that they hear and feel. If the child notices sounds, melodies and rythms, it moves and dances, stamps and claps his hands. Older children even try and sing along.
Listening to and experiencing music is a daily ritual in our childcare. Based on the age of the child, it can be pure singing along with the educators or even individual attempts with the basic child-oriented instruments e.g. rattles, triangle, drum, bells etc. Since the children are yet young, they often have a short attention span and can concentrate only for a short time on the musical experience. However, during this short time they are completely interested in it.