In most countries, at least one year of early childhood education is mandatory before enrollment in primary school. A key focus of this compulsory education is helping children learn the host country's language. However, many parents of migrant children who speak different home languages find that language learning in kindergartens alone is insufficient. As a result, they seek to support their children’s language development at home before the transition to primary education. The project aimed to empower parents to raise their children multilingually by providing tools and resources that support preschool-aged children in preparing linguistically for school while preserving their mother tongues. The "Dandelin School" app is designed to help children practice the school language and facilitate their integration into the school system. Additionally, the guidelines for multilingual education provide parents with essential knowledge about language acquisition, multilingualism, and the advantages of computer-assisted language learning.
The "Get ready for school" project was launched to address the language preparation needs of preschool children from migrant families in the EU. These children are often underprepared for school entry, as their proficiency in the second language — the language of instruction — is either significantly weaker or entirely absent compared to children for whom this is their first language. Early language learning in the family, kindergartens, playgroups, and other facilities is therefore a critical focus of integration policy. However, migrant parents often face their own challenges, including limited proficiency in the host country's language and a lack of knowledge on how to support their children's language development. Additionally, they frequently lack access to tools designed for this purpose. For instance, language learning apps tailored to pre-literate children are unavailable for most European languages, leaving a significant gap in resources to aid at-home learning.