Starting Early with Language Learning. Enhancing Human Capital and Improving the Integration of Migrant Families in the Danube Region. Examples from Bavaria

Abstract

Germany is an important destination for migrants from other European countries. That is particularly true of the Danube region, a European Union (EU) macroregion with deep economic and historical interconnections. Immigrants tend to be younger than the average of the German population, with children accounting for 15% of all migrants. The authors start with a short overview of the theoretical and empirical literature on preschool and early education as a tool for acquisition by immigrant children of the host country’s language. The focus is then shifted to the policy sphere, with the example of Germany and in particular the federal state of Bavaria, in the context of the challenges and best practices used to tackle the integration of such children. The article considers Regensburg, the fourth-largest city in the State of Bavaria, and the Landkreis (district) Kelheim to the southwest of Regensburg as case studies to illustrate the similarities and differences of their municipal approaches to the promotion of German language acquisition by immigrant children and their parents.