We want tork, learn and grow together. Our goal is to work with bilingual schools in Europe to change elementary bilingual education. Schools, leaders, and teachers struggle to build bilingual programs on their own, often with limited success. With the funding granted, we developed an approach to help schools start successful bilingual programs with free resources. Through our project we sparked discussions among ESL teachers to define key terminology, creating a common pedagogical language, developed a new sub-field combining ESL and Montessori education via expert collaboration, created a child-centered ESL methodology inspired by Montessori, useable in all schools, built common ground for ESL teachers and guides to improve classroom effectiveness, provided administrators with tools to support ESL teachers and student learning, helped administrators create language profiles for effective curriculs, developed a modular ESL curriculum adaptable to various school contexts, equipped ESL teachers with tools to reflect on their practice and meet students' needs built a growing community of 1,844 language professionals who participated in free online discussions, created a network for bilingual program development.
Mirka Vlckova and Marikay McCabe, founders of elementary schools in Prague and Madrid, transitioned to leadership and training roles in international organizations. In 2019, Mirka invited Marikay to speak on Bilingualism and Montessori at a conference she organize. Despite frustrations from years of bilingual programming in her Madrid school, Marikay's continued study of bilingualism led her to better understand Second Language Acquisition. This research allowed her to support schools worldwide. As they continued their discussions, Mirka and Marikay identified a need for support among school leaders, ESL teachers, and guides, sparking the creation of their project. They applied for funding, supported by 40 letters of intent from European schools eager to collaborate. Professionals, parents, and education authorities worldwide recognized the benefits of bilingualism: enhanced communication, cognitive development, personal growth, and increased mobility. However, support for bilingual programs was scarce. By applying for the grant, they aimed to create methods for bilingual programs that would support European schools and society. The needs addressed of their target groups are detailed in Q: How will the project meet the needs.