News item | 31-03-2023 | 4:45 pm
To make children proficient in several languages at a young age, the cabinet wants to make multilingual day care possible. Through the bill – submitted today to the Council of State – childcare centers may offer day care (for a maximum of 50% of the daily care time) in German, English or French from 2024. Multilingualism in these three languages can then be continued in primary education. This option has existed for out-of-school care since 2017.
Research by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment shows that there is a need among parents for multilingual day care. Day care in English in particular is mentioned more often. And in the border regions there is also a need for German and French at the reception.
In recent years, a number of organizations have experimented with multilingual day care. This shows that multilingual day care offers advantages for both children whose home language is Dutch and children for whom Dutch is a foreign language. A distribution of at least 50% Dutch (or Frisian or a regional language) and at most 50% German, English or French has positive effects on the language development of children.
Continuing Learning Line
With regard to multilingual childcare, the government has chosen to link up with multilingualism in primary education. For example, a ‘continuous learning trajectory’ can be maintained so that children can also continue their second language in education and better maintain it.