VBJK

In a multilingual and colourful city like Brussels language often represents the missing link between different communities. To understand each other, we appeal to our language skills, verbal and non-verbal on a daily basis. Those who work in a childcare centre are aware of this fact all too well. With some parents you can easily engage in conversation in Dutch but with other parents you will need to resort to several languages, gestures, and even pictures or drawings to communicate. The child, too, addresses you in many languages, ranging from body language and non-verbal expression to colourful verbal language. Children who feel safe and secure are eager to communicate. Stimulating and  encouraging language can be fun for them at any time of day.
In ‘The tale of language: challenging Dutch in a multilingual environment’, we visit a number of childcare centres in Brussels. Providers in childcare centres as well as parents tell their story. They share their visions, offer tips and illustrate how language interaction can take place.