Le Jardin Multilinguale Kindereinrichtungen gGmbH, is a non-profit organization who was established in 2003. We currently have 8 nurseries, 3 preschools for children aged from 3 to 6 years and 1 after-school child-minding program running in the Frankfurt area. Le Jardin was one of the first nursery providers anywhere in Germany to offer multilingual childcare for children aged from 2 months to 6 years.
As an experienced institution for multilingual preschool facilities, our device is “Two languages are a gift for any child!”
“We want to awaken children’s curiosity and interest in foreign languages. Anyone who feels comfortable in more than one language gains not only in terms of their own expression, but also acquires a deeper insight into other cultures and perspectives. In that sense, multilingual capability aims beyond the mere command of languages: it will help the future generation to reach out to others, learn tolerance and respect, and thereby overcome barriers.”
Frédéric Claude, General Director of Le Jardin.
Le Jardin applies a multilingual approach. The decisive quality feature here is the continuous promotion of second language acquisition in each facility (nurseries, kindergartens and after-school child-minding). This is based on everyday bilingual exercise – in German and English, or German and French, or German and Spanish – which the children experience through native speakers. In our facilities, our qualified professionals employ the immersion method.
We consider having an open-minded attitude toward the world outside as a crucial element of our work. We value cultural and linguistic diversity, and perceive them as enrichment and as an opportunity to learn.
Another pillar of our concept is the conscious experience of nature, also in an urban setting. The children can discover nature as a living space in their facility’s own garden or in one of our own allotment gardens.
The motivation to establish this company arose out of many conversations with French, English and also German parents, who, due to their work in assignments abroad, anticipate having to acclimate themselves and their children to new languages rapidly, and who wanted to be better prepared. That desire coincides with the findings of elementary research which show that children who are consistently exposed to other language systems during infancy are far more capable of learning languages.
The creation of Le Jardin was also driven by the need to optimize the balance between family and professional life.
Since its establishment, Le Jardin has been growing continuously. Today the company operates 8 nurseries, 3 preschools for children aged from 3 to 6 years. For the most part those facilities are located near specific companies or serve as dedicated, company-sponsored facilities. Le Jardin accepts children not only for partner companies, but also from families who reside in the city of Frankfurt.
Each of the nursery groups comprises 10 to 12 children each and is cared for by 3 to 4 employees. In the kindergartens, 3 to 4 employees take care of 20 to 22 children.
The children are permanently assigned to a specific group based on language. Today Le Jardin cares for 350 children in all and currently employs 130 staff members, who, due to their origins, form multicultural teams.
The opening hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.), permitting an optimal balance between professional and family life.
All facilities are conceived as multicultural institutions, each of which maintains German-French and German-English groups, as well as one German-Spanish group in one nursery.
Each facility is located adjacent to its own large expanse of open-air grounds.
