Intercultural Education and Multilingualism in the Kita

Helping children arrive with empathy

Children with experience of migration and flight need an empathetic arrival: safety, appreciation of their origin and language, and attentiveness to possible burdens. Understanding their situation helps you to support them well.

Understanding the situation

Children with experience of migration and especially of flight are often in a special situation: they have come to a new country, a new culture, a new language – a major upheaval. They have to find their way in an unfamiliar environment, learn a new language and get used to a great deal that is new. Children with experience of flight have, beyond this, often gone through distressing or traumatic experiences (war, violence, loss, flight, uprooting – see the separate course on trauma) and can be burdened as a result. Their families are often burdened too (by the experience of flight, the uncertain situation and the challenges of arriving). Understanding this special situation – the upheaval, the unfamiliarity, the possible burdens – is important in order to support these children and families empathetically and appropriately. The aim is to understand them in their difficult situation, to meet them with empathy, appreciation and support, and to make a good, safe arrival possible for them.

Figure (Module 5): The situation of children and families with experience of migration or flight. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).

Shaping an empathetic arrival

An empathetic arrival for children with experience of migration or flight rests on several elements. Safety and security: above all, these children need safety, security and a reliable, warm relationship (see the separate courses on settling-in, attachment and trauma) – especially after an upheaval and possible burdens. Appreciation of origin and language: value and welcome the child's origin, culture and language (this strengthens their identity, self-worth and sense of belonging and helps them to feel accepted – Module 3). Patience with arriving and learning German: give the child time and patience to settle in and learn German (the transition and second-language acquisition take time; do not overload or rush the child). Making communication possible: find ways of communicating (also non-verbally, with pictures, with patience, where appropriate with language mediators) so that the child can express themselves and be understood. Promoting belonging: include the child, encourage contacts and friendships, and help them to belong (Module 11, the separate course on inclusion). And attentiveness to possible burdens (see below). This empathetic arrival – safety, appreciation, patience, communication, belonging – helps the children to settle in, to arrive, and to feel safe and accepted.

Figure (Module 5): Five elements of an empathetic arrival, plus attentiveness to possible burdens (see below). Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).

Going deeper: Attentiveness to possible burdens and traumatisation

A particularly important aspect for children with experience of flight is attentiveness to possible burdens and traumatisation (see the separate course on trauma). Children with experience of flight have often gone through distressing or traumatic experiences (war, violence, loss, threat, flight, uprooting) that can leave deep traces and can show in how they feel and behave (see the separate course on trauma: possible effects of trauma such as hyperarousal, withdrawal, fears, sleep problems and others). Not every child with experience of flight is traumatised. It is important to be attentive and empathetic towards these possible burdens and to support the affected children accordingly. The principles of trauma-sensitive education apply here (see the separate course on trauma): the day-care centre (Kita) does not provide therapy (that is a matter for specialists), but it can be a safe, supportive place – with safety, stability, reliable relationships, appreciation and positive experiences that give the burdened children support and strengthen them (see the separate course on trauma). For children with experience of flight, who have often experienced insecurity, threat and uprooting, the Kita as a safe, reliable, warm place is especially valuable – a place of safety, security, appreciation and positive experiences that helps them to arrive, to stabilise and to develop well. What matters is an understanding stance (see the separate courses on trauma and behaviour): see these children's conspicuous behaviour (hyperarousal, withdrawal, fears) with understanding as a possible expression of burden (not judging it as "misbehaviour" or punishing it) and respond with understanding, safety and support. In the case of stronger, lasting burdens or traumatisation, it is also important to involve specialist services and, where appropriate, therapeutic help (see the separate course on trauma, in the network) – the Kita recognises possible burdens, offers supportive guidance and involves help where needed, but does not diagnose or treat itself. Do not question the child about their experiences; if the child talks about them, listen calmly, make no promises and pass the observation on to the management. Help route: record observations factually and discuss them with the management; specialist services (e.g. the paediatrician, a parenting and family counselling centre) are only involved with the parents' consent. If there are substantial indications of a risk to the child's wellbeing (Kindeswohlgefährdung), the child protection procedure under Section 8a of Book VIII of the German Social Code (SGB VIII) applies (inform the management, risk evaluation (Gefährdungseinschätzung) with advice from an experienced child protection specialist (insoweit erfahrene Fachkraft, InsoFa), informing the youth welfare office (Jugendamt) where necessary); in acute danger, call 110 (police) or 112 (emergency services). Practitioners who are themselves burdened by distressing accounts can turn to the management and the team, to supervision where available, or to the TelefonSeelsorge (German telephone helpline: 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222, free of charge, 24 hours a day). The burdened families also need understanding and support (understanding for their difficult situation, pointers to sources of help, where appropriate language mediators and low-threshold support). Attentiveness to possible burdens and supportive, trauma-sensitive guidance of children with experience of flight are thus an important part of supporting them – they combine empathetic intercultural arrival with trauma-sensitive care for possible burdens. The Kita as a safe, supportive, appreciative place can be of great, sometimes decisive importance for children with experience of flight, who have often been through hard times – a place of safety, security, appreciation and positive experiences that helps them to arrive, to stabilise and to develop well despite their burdens. In this way it makes a valuable contribution to the wellbeing of these particularly vulnerable children.

Figure (Module 5): The Kita's role in trauma-sensitive support. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).