Celebrating multiculturalism in Vesturkot preschool

Multicultural Preschool

“Here we do not distinguish between Icelandic children and children of foreign origin,” said Inga Þóra Ásdísardóttir, preschool principal at Vesturkot, when she received representatives from the Center for Education and School Services and the Center for Language and Literacy last week. The representatives wanted to familiarize themselves with the great results that have been achieved at the preschool.

Representatives of the state and city and the Department of Education and Public Health of Hafnarfjörður were greeted by a very calm atmosphere. Inga Þóra led them around the preschool where the children were playing and working in every corner, as well as playing outside in the Icelandic spring weather.

Multiculturalism is greatest in the preschool Vesturkot in Hafnarfjörður. The attitude there towards multiculturalism is also unique and has attracted attention beyond the town limits.

Multilingualism as a resource for schooling

The preschool’s work excels towards children, staff and not least parents. Multilingualism is considered a resource rather than an obstacle. Surveys have shown good results in measurements of the children’s use of words.

The staff is extremely positive towards the changed landscape and uses work methods that empower the children in democratic decision-making.

Emphasis is placed on cooperation between schools, children and parents in the preschool. It is considered important to maintain good contact with parents and provide them with information about the status of their children. A key aspect of the preschool’s operations is to be open, show concern and support, both in terms of the language and culture of each family.

The children come well equipped from Vesturkot

Internal surveys conducted by the Department of Education and Public Health on the skills of the children from Vesturkot preschool indicate that very good work is being done there. Children in the first grades of primary school who come from Vesturkot generally do well in reading and Icelandic. The preschool staff make use of various tools for support. These include Gefðu10, or a competence framework in Icelandic for multilingual children in preschool. It helps to identify the needs of children, in order to later be able to provide them with better assistance to grow and develop in our society.

Representatives of the Center for Education and School Services were there last week to familiarize themselves with and map out this good work.

Indeed, idealism pays well off at Vesturkot.