Tomorrow evening sees the culmination of five months of hard work for a group of international parents. They have completed a pilot programme presented by New In NL.
This company offers language lessons and more for newcomers to Eindhoven. It is supported by Vredesburo Eindhoven. Their latest project is called Language and Participation Program for international parents. “We have worked hard to develop and test a program for these parents. It gives them knowledge and tools to successfully support their children in the Dutch education system,” says Ljiljana Predragovic and Emdée Withaar from New In NL.
This programme is specifically aimed at parents. “International parents often opt for a Dutch primary school for their child. We, therefore, find it really important that parents not only learn the Dutch language.” New In NL wants parents to also familiarize themselves with the Dutch system of education. They must gain other important tools they can use in the terms of parenting and supporting their child in growing up in Eindhoven too.
Not just a regular Dutch course
“We went a bit further than a regular Dutch course. We developed materials which enable parents to immediately apply the knowledge gained in their communication with their kids and teachers in Dutch,” say the two ladies. The programme is, however, not only specific because of the parent-friendly topics and custom-made learning materials. It has a participation component too.
“Our lessons are structured in such a way that, besides parents learning Dutch, we share information and discuss important subjects related to education and growing up in the Netherlands. This revolves around several subjects such as school/daycare, the health system, communication/partnership with school/daycare, free time, safety, etc. We also provide a lot of information about organisations and institutions that offer different activities and support programmes for kids and parents.”
International parents from Korein Kinderplein in Maria van Bourgondiëlaan and De Troubadour primary school took part in the pilot. These parents will be celebrating the completion of this programme tomorrow evening.
Source: New In NL
