In the big cities in Saxony-Anhalt you can also find classes in which half or even more than half have a migrant background, says Tobias Kühne, spokesman for the Saxony-Anhalt State School Office. Social issues often also play a role, as families with a migrant background often have fewer financial resources available to finance tutoring, for example. Nevertheless, there are always examples in which children with a migration background go through the education system and complete their high school diploma.
In order for this to work, it is important that they come into contact with the German language as early as possible, says Oliver Winkler from the University of Halle: “Competencies in German are important for all school subjects.” The benefits of early childhood education are therefore very high. Language daycare centers could be a start. There are currently 209 such facilities in Saxony-Anhalt.
With our offerings, we try to make the transition to school as easy as possible for children and to give them what they need to get off to a good start into the future.
Jennifer Mauksch, head of the “Ohana” daycare center in Magdeburg
Individual support in the preschool program
Sara Abdulkader is happy that her child got a place at the “Ohana” daycare center. The 33-year-old Syrian came to Germany seven years ago and her daughter will start school this year. “At first I thought my child might only speak Arabic here, but she now speaks German very well. And that’s what we want,” she says with a smile. Nevertheless, she worries whether the six-year-old will understand everything at school. That’s why she tries to speak German as much as possible at home – in addition to her mother tongue. “I also have experience with my son, who is now in sixth grade. Things were a little difficult for him in first grade, but now everything is working well. The children learn very quickly,” she remembers.
Director Jennifer Mauksch hopes that her daycare children will be prepared in the facility so that they will not have a language barrier later in school. If it becomes apparent in the preschool program that a child has problems, there are employees who specialize in this and then work with the child in individual training. “With our offerings, we try to make the transition to school as easy as possible for the children and to give them what they need to get off to a good start into the future.”
Continuation of the project despite success is uncertain
OAlthough the concept seems to be well received by both parents and children, it is unclear what will happen next with the “Ohana” daycare center. So far it is only a temporary project of the non-profit company “Mandala Childcare” in cooperation with the city of Magdeburg. As part of the “Language Daycare State Program”, the funding only runs until the end of 2024. The state of Saxony-Anhalt took over the funding last year when the federal program initiated in 2016 was ended.