Competencies of preschool educators in Amsterdam: A Dutch perspective on language proficiency, language targets and didactic skills

Abstract

AbstractSince the beginning of this century the Netherlands has invested much money and energy in the early education of two-and-a-half to six-year-old children in an effort to improve the quality of this type of education. In this paper we will focus on the measures that have been taken in the city with the largest number of preschools and early childhood educators in the Netherlands: Amsterdam. Great care is taken to fulfil the conditions for a successful early childhood education. What we have analyzed is the educators’ language proficiency level, their knowledge about language targets for the four to six-year-olds, and their didactic skills. A report of the schools inspectorate indicated that in many cases these competencies left much to be desired. Measures have therefore been taken in order to improve them. In this paper the contents of these measures and their results will be reported. It will become clear that constant interaction is going on between initiatives that have started on a local scale and measures that have been approved and are implemented at a national level.