Support for multilingual children

Preparatory teaching in pre-primary education is meant for children who have just moved to Finland and have a mother tongue other than Finnish. The aim is to support children in transitioning to basic education in Finnish schools.  

Preparatory teaching is organised five days a week, five hours a day. Teaching takes place in pre-primary education groups, in instructed individual, small group and play situations, and in everyday interactions between other children and adults.

This integration helps children learn Finnish, become familiar with the contents of pre-primary education, and create social relationships.  

Teaching takes place in pre-primary education groups, in instructed individual, small group and play situations, and in everyday interactions between other children and adults. In addition, the child's bilingualism and multicultural identity are supported. 

In Turku, all children in ECEC and pre-primary education whose mother tongue is not Finnish are taught Finnish as a second language (S2). This teaching supports the child’s Finnish language learning in a group of other children.

S2 teaching is provided to 0–7-year-olds, and the aim is to provide equal learning opportunities, a safe growth environment, and support for integration. In addition to improving language skills, the teaching strengthens the children’s identity and self-esteem.

In Turku, resources have been reserved for linguistically and culturally conscious early childhood education and care and pre-primary education. The city employs 16 ECEC teachers and 5 teachers in preparatory education to support this work. 

In some schools in Turku, a child in pre-primary education can participate in teaching in their mother tongue in their local school.  You can get more information from the principals of primary schools.