Helen Doron Turkey Launches Bilingual Kindergartens

    MISGAV, ISRAEL, November 05, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The 2013-14 school year in Turkey opened with 10 Helen Doron English Enrichment Kindergartens teaching the Helen Doron English method, with an additional 10 kindergartens opening soon. The curriculum was specially designed by the educational franchise's pedagogic teams, external early childhood education experts and Helen Doron herself, to create quality, fun, stress-free programmes. The Helen Doron Kindergarten curriculum places emphasis on the development of pre-schoolers' brain and body and the connections between them. In addition to teaching English, the curriculum also includes: reading and writing, storytelling (literacy), mathematics and logical games, science, arts and crafts, multilingual songs, and a major emphasis on creativity, social skills, physical activity and fitness and motor skills; all based on the special Helen Doron methodology.

Due to enthusiastic response from parents, 200 more combination morning kindergartens and afternoon learning centres are planned to open within the next 4 years. Fatih Omar Dericioglu, Helen Doron Kindergarten Master Franchise Representative in Erken Yasta, Turkey, explained why Helen Doron English answers an immediate educational need in his country. "Turkey is a huge country with a population of 80 million people, yet there is very little in the way of English instruction for children, so this is a perfect opportunity. For children under the age of 7, in the pre-school market, the need is acute. That's why 75% of our students are under the age of 5. The unique early development programmes make us the best choice for the education of pre-school children worldwide."

Dericioglu elaborated on how the afternoon programmes evolved into a comprehensive kindergarten curriculum, "We introduced Helen Doron English 4 years ago in Turkey and it was so successful that we decided to branch out and open Helen Doron English enrichment kindergartens in addition to the afternoon early English programmes. This idea stemmed from parent feedback, as they were so pleased with the teachers, methodology, materials and impressive results, that they wanted their children to spend more time in a Helen Doron environment. We listened to the parents, and realizing the potential, opened all-day kindergartens that are now being used as Learning Centres after school hours and even during weekends, increasing income opportunities for our franchisees. Our Learning Centres are open 7 days a week, 11 hours a day."

Historically, there is a general belief in Turkey that children must master their mother tongue before attempting to learn a second language. "We know that's incorrect, so a lot of what we do is to educate the educators about the many benefits of bilingualism." Recent research from all over the world confirms that children have the capacity and ability to learn more than one language and that learning a second language as early as possible is overwhelmingly beneficial. Being bilingual actually has social and emotional benefits, and bilingual babies become smarter children and adults.

"It is well-known that our language teachers are the best-trained in the country. Not every English-speaker can become a Helen Doron teacher and that really shows in the quality of their teaching and how well children learn."
"Our growth has been even better than expected, as Turkish parents are eager to invest in their children's future." Mr Dericioglu concluded. "Parents are so proud when they hear their children speaking English. That is our best advertisement, as they tell everyone about it."

Find out more about Helen Doron kindergartens

About the Helen Doron Educational Group
The Helen Doron Educational Group stands at the forefront of innovative educational systems, providing exclusive learning programmes and quality educational materials for babies, children and adolescents the world over since 1985. The company's flagship franchise, Helen Doron English, today encompasses over 760 learning centres in 33 countries in Europe, Asia and South America. More than 1.5 million children today speak English as a second language thanks to Helen Doron English.

The Helen Doron English franchise model invites entrepreneurs to join a successful business operation that benefits children around the world. Visit us at www.helendorongroup.com.

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