Bilingual childcare at Hestia

We offer bilingual childcare at all of our daycare centers and after-school care locations in Amsterdam, Amstelveen and Driemond. Young children are sensitive to learning a second or third language. This means that when they come into contact with multiple languages, they will learn a language faster and with less effort (even at an older age). That is why we offer both Dutch and English at our locations. We have chosen English because it is a world language and children will benefit from it at a young age in an international environment such as Amsterdam. In addition, parents of international children who have lived here for several years would like their child to also learn Dutch and thus possibly be able to go to a Dutch school.

Why bilingual childcare?

The European Union wants to promote mobility and understanding between cultures. In this context, the EU has identified language learning as a top priority and finances various programmes and projects in this area. According to the EU, multilingualism is an important aspect of European competitiveness. One of the objectives of the European language policy is that every European citizen should master two languages ​​in addition to their mother tongue.” Their motto is: “we are united in diversity” and we at Hestia can fully identify with that. By offering bilingual childcare to children, we support the growth of future international generations who see our cultural differences as opportunities to make the best decisions.

What does bilingual childcare look like at Hestia?

At Hestia, we work with the One Teacher One Language (OTOL) method. This means that both languages ​​are offered equally (50% Dutch, 50% English). In each group, one pedagogical professional speaks completely Dutch and the other English. It is the most intensive way to offer bilingual education. The advantage is that it is very clear to children who speaks what. And since the time spent on English is sufficient, we see that the development of this language is growing rapidly.

Research into the results of bilingual childcare

Hestia initiated the working group that ensured that research was conducted by the University of Amsterdam on behalf of the municipality. One of the most frequently heard doubts that people have about bilingual childcare is that a child would fall behind in the development of the mother tongue. Hestia naturally participated in the 4-year research. They investigated whether this doubt is justified. This research was also leading in the municipality’s choice to allow bilingual childcare. Below you can see the results. The conclusions of the research were that there is no evidence that bilingual childcare or education has a negative effect on the development of Dutch. There is, on the contrary, evidence that the provision of English in childcare has a positive effect on the level of English of the children. And that a rich language offering, regardless of the language, has a positive effect on the language development in all languages ​​that the child is offered.

An international team

Our bilingual childcare gives us the opportunity to grow a multinational team. At Hestia, we have a team from many different backgrounds, all with a degree in education and trained in the Hestia Way. Celebrating diversity and inclusion extends to our team members too!

What are the reasons for parents to choose bilingual childcare?

International parents want to offer their child a place where it understands the language and has the opportunity to learn Dutch. So that the child can be or become a functional part of Dutch society. At a Dutch, bilingual, other language school or clubs.
International parents are looking for a place where there is room for multilingualism. Where speaking more than 1 language or speaking a language that is not Dutch is seen as a wealth and something that is allowed to exist. Where the language(s) that are already spoken are used in the development of new language(s) to be learned.
Dutch parents like to offer their child the opportunity to learn a second language, so that it has a language advantage in the future. Sometimes they also use the bilingual center to prepare their child for a period abroad.
All parents see the advantage of a multinational environment for their child to discover different cultures and to create a sense of inclusivity from an early age. To be proud of your history, your beliefs, cultural customs and to have/be given space for this in childcare.