The association Sprachpat*innen für Kitakinder e.V. is once again inviting participants to a training series where language mentors can learn more about children’s language development. The program is organized in cooperation with the Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics (ZAS) and the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Berlin (EHB) and takes place across four sessions.
If you are interested in becoming a language mentor yourself, please contact: office@sprachpaten.berlin
The first session of the 2025/26 training series will take place on Monday, September 29, from 2:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Topic: Introduction to Language Acquisition
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Natascha Naujok, Protestant University of Applied Sciences Berlin (EHB)
Venue: ZAS, Pariser Str. 1, 10719 Berlin, in the Ilse-Zimmermann-Saal
Please register for this session with Ms. Wiedensohler at office@sprachpaten.berlin.
The afternoon will include plenty of time for questions and discussions, both with the lecturer and among participants. Refreshments, including sweet and savory snacks, will be provided.
Participants who attend all four sessions will receive a certificate of completion.
About the Association Sprachpat:innen für Kitakinder e.V.
In response to the repeatedly observed language difficulties of Berlin children transitioning from kindergarten to primary school, Sprachpat*innen für Kitakinder e.V. was founded in 2021 by Sawsan Chebli and Prof. Dr. Matthias Bräutigam.
Today, around eighty volunteers visit kindergartens regularly, at least once a week, to spend time with their assigned children. The mentors play, sing, paint, craft, model and build together. Through all these activities they engage the children in conversation, because children learn to speak through dialogue. For this reason they call themselves language mentors rather than reading mentors; they could just as well be called play mentors.
Since its founding, the association has recognized the importance of providing its mentors with a deeper understanding of children’s language development to support linguistically disadvantaged children more effectively. Therefore, it sought out academic collaboration.
Since 2022, the association has been closely cooperating with Prof. Dr. Natalia Gagarina, Deputy Director at ZAS and Head of the BIVEM research network coordinated by Dr. Nathalie Topaj. Prof. Gagarina and her team have supported the training of the mentors ever since.
An important step followed in January 2023, when Prof. Dr. Natascha Naujok, Professor of Language and Communication at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Berlin (EHB), designed the contents of the training program. Her expertise and creative approach led to the vision of developing a comprehensive and structured training series that sets new standards.