From October 2024 to January 2025, the Estonian Refugee Council provided guidance to kindergarten specialists in Ida-Viru County and Tallinn to support the creation of more inclusive learning and developmental environments. As part of the programme, experienced kindergarten educators offered advice on supporting children with a mother tongue other than Estonian in Estonian-speaking groups. The initiative was funded by the British Council in Estonia.
According to Mirjam Rennit, Advocacy Specialist at the Estonian Refugee Council, an essential aspect of the advisory programme is providing supportive feedback to kindergarten educators. “The contribution of specialists who work daily with children whose mother tongue is not Estonian is invaluable – both in supporting children's development and in advancing Estonia's integration processes through language learning and social inclusion,” she said. Rennit emphasised that the programme’s goal is to keep early childhood education specialists motivated in their work by providing them with supportive guidance and essential resources.
The Estonian Refugee Council has supported early childhood educators in integrating children from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds for several years. This advisory cycle focused primarily on engaging Russian-speaking families in Estonian-language educational institutions. The consultations addressed children's language learning and collaboration with parents, who are key partners in supporting both overall and linguistic development. The programme also explored ways to build cohesive communities around kindergartens and encourage parents to take an active role in kindergarten life.
A total of five kindergartens from Ida-Viru County and Tallinn participated in the programme, all of which have a significant number of children whose mother tongue is not Estonian. Kindergarten educators took part in advisory discussions, after which they received diverse recommendations for improving group work. The participating institutions also developed action plans for implementing the recommendations in their respective kindergartens and groups.
In addition to the advisory activities, two community events were held in Ida-Viru County as part of the programme, bringing together families of children from diverse backgrounds who attend local kindergartens.
The Estonian Refugee Council will continue advising and training early childhood education specialists in the future to provide support for educators working in multicultural communities.
The programme is implemented in cooperation with the British Council in Estonia as part of the “People to People Cultural Engagement” initiative to promote social cohesion. More information about the British Council’s work in Estonia can be found at www.britishcouncil.ee.
