this is us
About Us
“The limits of my language(s) are the limits of my world” [1]
The focus of our work is the bilingual care of children, in German and English.
The challenge is to give children the opportunity to learn and internalize a second language alongside their mother tongue, during their language acquisition period and beyond, and to do so in a playful way.
In addition, English-speaking children are given the opportunity to continue speaking their native language and to be understood in their "German-speaking" environment.
[1] Quote from the BBP, edition 2004, by Ludwig Wittgenstein
Children's groups
At Zilli Billi Willi, children from the age of one to school age are looked after. The one to four year olds, our minis, play in the rooms on Herbert-Baum-Straße and the four to six year olds, our maxis, play in the rooms on Streustraße. We can look after up to 39 children in total in both rooms, although both are to be viewed as a unit and will work across groups.
Bilingualität
Wie wird Englisch in den Alltag integriert?
Unser Kinderladen arbeitet nach dem Konzept der Immersion „Eintauchen in die Sprache“. Beide Sprachen stehen den Kindern durch deutsche und englische Muttersprachler zur Verfügung.
Diese Bildungsphilosophie des Zweitspracherwerbs ruht auf dem Prinzip, dass Sprachen am besten erworben werden, wenn sie in authentischen Situationen angewendet werden.
Die immersive Begleitung der Kinder wird gefördert durch eine englischsprachige Betreuung während des gesamten Tages und durch alltägliche Rituale und sprachlich begleitete Handlungen.
Außerdem gibt es tägliche englischsprachige Angebote für die Kinder, in der ausschließlich die englische Sprache gesprochen wird, um zusätzlich das „Eintauchen“ in die Sprache zu fördern. Ebenfalls gibt es Materialien, welche sowohl für den deutschsprachigen als auch für den englischsprachigen Gebrauch geeignet sind.
Funding under the Berlin Education Programme
Children’s rights
Children have the right:
to be accepted as they are
on active, positive attention and warmth
to be left alone, to withdraw
to differentiate oneself as a person from adults or other children
on an individual development process and their own pace
on playing and choosing your own playmates
on responsible and committed caregivers
to research and experiment
to have diverse experiences
on fantasy in own worlds
on manageable rooms that are sensibly arranged according to children’s needs
to a diverse, stimulating and adaptable environment
on a healthy diet
on a dining situation that is relaxed and communicative, on eating as a sensual experience
Development of social skills
In our children's groups we promote community and acceptance of the individuality of our fellow human beings, regardless of origin, gender or religion.
Children need freedom to develop and flourish.
We give the children the freedom
Age-appropriate participation and self-determination
Freedom of movement
to express one's opinion freely
To be able to use retreat options
to try out
to relive outdated behaviour patterns
Early childhood music education
Our children's groups love making music. The children have free access to instruments every day and we sing together in German and English. Our repertoire includes well-known and new children's songs, suitable for all seasons.
Healthy eating
The children's shop offers mainly organic food, incorporating the following nutritional approaches:
Nutritional variety, child-friendly preparation, regional products, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Lunch is delivered by an organic wholefood catering service.
Forms of cooperation with parents
Starting with the familiarization discussion for the transition from the family to the daycare center, through to development and parent discussions, parents' evenings and board meetings are an important part of the cooperation between the educators and the parents. Parents are also informed via circular emails, WhatsApp groups, notices and weekly plans.
Parents are involved in the organization and implementation of highlights, projects and excursions.
There are voluntary tasks that are distributed among the parents, such as the repair office, ordering drugstore items or being parent representatives.
We want parents who can identify with "their" children's store.
Example daily routine
Mini group :
8.00 Arrival of the children and farewell to the parents
9.00 breakfast together
10.00 Time for projects, crafts, free play, music, outdoor games…
11.45 Singing Circle
12.00 lunch together
13.00 - 14.30 Lunch break
15.00 Vespers
15.30 Play and pick-up time
17.00 Closing
Maxigroup:
8.00 Arrival of the children and farewell to the parents
8.30 breakfast together
9.00 Time for projects, music, sports, free play, excursions, morning circle
13.00 shared lunch
14.00-15.00 rest break
15.30 Vespers
16.00 Play and pick-up time
17.00 Closing