Bilingual (English-Dutch) Option at After School Care

Following many years of experience in providing an English-speaking approach to childcare, Zein added bilingual after school care to its service offer several years ago. This service is available to families attending Junior Schools from the British School in the Netherlands as well as the surrounding Dutch Schools – who may choose between an English-speaking or bilingual group.

The advantages of growing up in a bilingual environment
This provision aims to meet the desire for bilingual care amongst the growing number of expat families choosing for long-term assignments or lifetime careers in the Netherlands – as well as the ever-increasing number of internationally-oriented (international & local Dutch) families who recognise the many advantages a bilingual upbringing can offer their child.

Research into bilingualism shows that children raised bilingually (or multilingually) are more open-minded, have better problem-solving skills and adapt better to different environments than their monolingual counterparts. Bilingualism is the perfect complement to Zein’s international community of children, parents and staff – where worlds come together and different cultures are celebrated.

Read on to find out how our programme boosts your child’s confidence in using English and Dutch.

Balancing English and Dutch Within the Daily Programme

We follow the one-teacher-one-language approach. This means, while interacting with the children, one teacher consistently speaks English whilst the other consistently speaks Dutch – similar to what you would experience in a bilingual household. Each teacher speaks the language they are fluent in, whilst also being proficient in the language owned by their colleague.

Similar to our English-speaking groups, the bilingual group follows Zein’s varied After School Care programme of activities, projects and sports. To expose the children to both languages throughout every afternoon they are with us, your child will enjoy snack time, circle time and activity time in either Dutch or English. Below is an example of how both languages may be spoken with your child throughout the afternoon.

Snack time: Dutch

Discussion and Sharing Time:  English
Children sharing about their day at school and planned activities for the afternoon are announced and children can express preferences to staff

Activity time: Indoor activity mainly in Dutch, Outdoor activity mainly in English

The Group Set-Up

The groups are available to junior school aged children, mimicking the home environment where siblings co-exist side by side and interact with each other at the end of the school day. Within this structure, Zein offers age-appropriate indoor and outdoor activities, projects and sports to ensure a stimulating and fun environment for each child – whatever their age.

The Location & Facilities

THE ESTATE
Situated on Jozef Israelsplein 36 in the Benoordenhout area of The Hague, the stunning listed building was completely renovated, remodelled and modernised in 2014 and is now recognised as one of the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly listed buildings in the Netherlands. With over 3000m2 of natural landscaped gardens – designed specifically for the different age ranges of the children in our care – this really is a childcare location to envy others. Click the link for more information and pictures about the Estate facilities. 

THE WILLOWS
The innovative purpose-built facilities on the Leidschenveen campus of the British School on Vrouw Avenweg 644 offer children a spacious, welcoming environment with the added benefit of using the state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor recreational facilities of the school. Click the link for more information and pictures about the Willows facilities.

Contact us, Book a Visit or Register

We are always happy for families to visit our locations so you can see the environment for yourself. If you would like to arrange a visit, please click here to complete our visit request form. A member of our friendly team will be happy to arrange a suitable appointment date for you.

If you wish to register your childplease complete our online registration form for your child, and a member of our Planning team will be in touch with you very shortly to discuss the options. Registration is possible for one to five days/afternoons per week. Click here for more information on the attendance options and packages available.

If you have any questions regarding registration, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly planning and customer services team via: [email protected] or +31 (0)70 200 2375

Arrange A Visit

Care Allowance