A community for bilingual and multilingual children
We are a vibrant, global community with English as our shared language. Most of our families work in fields where fluency in several languages is crucial. We are committed to hiring mother-tongue teachers at Children First to ensure that children are exposed to the highest standards of language from the very beginning.
Babies and toddlers are immersed in our native English nursery. During these formative years, it is important that they are absorbing the intonation and sounds of the language. Each baby has a warm, professional key worker who helps them to develop an instinctive ear for the language throughout their daily care programme.
From two or three years of age, another window of opportunity opens for very young children to start learning a second or even third language. German is taught from preschool to Grade 1. We partner with parents to develop an individualised plan for each child’s language development.
Our teaching is designed to mirror the way young children naturally acquire language fluency. Small, dedicated English and German classes present no alternative but to use their new language with their friends and teachers.
The Children First international curriculum is designed to ensure children become skilled communicators. In our calm and purposeful environment, little ears get attuned to listening. With the right guidance, children can learn to express themselves well from a very early age. This leads to negotiating skills and in turn to good behaviour. Parents who wish to add a new language to their child’s repertoire can do so at our Freiestrasse 175 schoolhouse where we offer tailor-made language classes for beginners. Language learning is a powerful stimulation for growing minds.
Children First staff and children see living in multilingual Switzerland as a wonderful opportunity to learn about cultures and languages around the world. This open attitude instills curiosity and willingness in children who learn a new language here. We regularly offer extra-curricular courses at Children First in French, Italian or Spanish for four to seven year old children.